Chicago footwork godfather RP Boo's career spans over 30 years, though for years his work had inexplicably been confined to smaller white labels and self-releases.
Reissues of his archival material have opened him up to broader audiences and due recognition, and Boo's next task is to continue to empty his mind, say what needs to be said, and bequeath himself to his listeners. His latest release, I'll Tell You What!, marks the first time he's released an album of contemporary material shortly after creating it, and once again his host is Planet Mu, a label we can credit for continuing to bolster footwork.
I'll Tell You What! has a balance that swings steadily between being confrontational ("Wicked'Bu" is a perfect example, with its aggressively confident lyrics and a shell of footwork that plays with low-ends and sporadic snaps of percussion) and thoughtful, lamenting moments like "U-Don't No," where passion pushes through and the percussive pounding resumes alongside melancholic keys.
I'll Tell You What will keep listeners on their toes, as the album is both immersed in footwork but also pushes against its boundaries, frequently dropping the signature drum machines, working with droning synth, crossing vocal samples, and generally taking left turns just when you think you've got a hold on a track. True to form, RP Boo is always mutating, and is anything but stuck in the past.
(Planet Mu)Reissues of his archival material have opened him up to broader audiences and due recognition, and Boo's next task is to continue to empty his mind, say what needs to be said, and bequeath himself to his listeners. His latest release, I'll Tell You What!, marks the first time he's released an album of contemporary material shortly after creating it, and once again his host is Planet Mu, a label we can credit for continuing to bolster footwork.
I'll Tell You What! has a balance that swings steadily between being confrontational ("Wicked'Bu" is a perfect example, with its aggressively confident lyrics and a shell of footwork that plays with low-ends and sporadic snaps of percussion) and thoughtful, lamenting moments like "U-Don't No," where passion pushes through and the percussive pounding resumes alongside melancholic keys.
I'll Tell You What will keep listeners on their toes, as the album is both immersed in footwork but also pushes against its boundaries, frequently dropping the signature drum machines, working with droning synth, crossing vocal samples, and generally taking left turns just when you think you've got a hold on a track. True to form, RP Boo is always mutating, and is anything but stuck in the past.