The expansive third album from
Kendrick Scott Oracle, 2015's
We Are the Drum, further reveals the drummer's multi-layered jazz vision. It's a vision that
Scott debuted on the group's lauded 2006 album Source, and expanded upon with 2013's
Conviction. As with that album,
We Are the Drum is filled with forward-thinking original compositions by
Scott and his bandmates. Featured here is the same group from
Conviction, with pianist
Taylor Eigsti, guitarist
Michael Moreno, saxophonist
John Ellis, and bassist
Joe Sanders. Together, they produce a ruminative, often languid style of jazz that favors soft, harmonically supple introspection over explosive firepower. That said, while much of
We Are the Drum is tender and ambient, there are moments of intensity, and cuts like the sweeping, modal "Milton" and the bouncy, swinging "Synchrony," skip along with a cerebral urgency that brings to mind the latter-career recordings of
Wayne Shorter. Part of what makes
Scott's albums stand out from other progressive jazz works is his balance of exploratory instrumentalism and lyrical melody. Adding to the melodicism of
We Are the Drum is vocalist
Lizz Wright, who lends her folky, nuanced soulfulness to the psychedelic, R&B-infused "This Song in Me." In fact, melody, poetry, and a song's overall impact on a listener are clearly paramount to
Scott. Despite his immense ability as a drummer (skills evident throughout
We Are the Drum), you never get the sense that he wants his albums to be just a showcase for his drumming. On the contrary, while cuts like the quietly impassioned "Mantra" and "Never Catch Me" begin with kinetic, polyrhythmic drum solo intros, the overall impression on
We Are the Drum is of the
Kendrick Scott Oracle as a band of unified musicians. ~ Matt Collar