On record, Georgia Anne Muldrow can come across as the spiritual and emotional heir to Nina Simone-- immersed in music with a cracked soul and a full heart, ever adventurous and pushing herself in new and occasionally bizarre directions. But the reality is a little different. Muldrow documents every moment of her career relentlessly, releasing a string of albums that have bright moments, but mostly feel incomplete. Her latest album, VWETO, is entirely instrumental, which is unfortunate. Muldrow's prime appeal is the way she tackles even the most rudderless instrumentals with her silken rasp, briefly attempting to keep a track in lockstep before faltering into spaced out bliss. It's this loss of control that makes her someone worth paying attention to, and without it, VWETO is just a somewhat enjoyable but mostly forgettable listen.
There are promising moments, though. The slap bass on "Strike" paired with an upper register balloon squeak is hypnotic in the most blunted way possible, while album opener "The No-No Chords" sits dead center in California smog, relying on texture and loose, squelching bass to propel it forward. Meanwhile, "fOnkRocker" rolls so smoothly over its own g-funk bounce that it's insane that she doesn't attempt to at least throw a chorus in there. VWETO might flow beautifully from beginning to end, but it also rambles. Outside of those highlights, much of the album feels like it exists just to fill space. Tracks like "fOnk Stroll" drag on a few minutes too long and sound like she's fidgeting around in the space between the obvious influence of J Dilla's Donuts-era song sketches and a more fleshed out, modern funk.
VWETO might be just another step in what is sure to be a long and storied career for Muldrow, but it's not the one that will match audience expectations. When she finally gets it completely right-- and it seems ridiculous to assume she won't, based on the glimpses of brilliance she's shown in the past-- she'll elevate Nag Champa and Bead Curtain soul into something worth paying attention to again.
