McKinley Dixon is a rapper who is deeply invested in the art of writing. His sturdy yet rigid flow might not dazzle, but he impresses with imaginative lyricism. “That’s the summer my mama raised a soldier/I look at pictures now, and all that’s changed is grinded down molars,” he raps on “All the Loved Ones (What Would We Do???).” These poetic turns of phrase fuel the Richmond, Virginia artist’s fifth album, Magic, Alive! Its premise centers on a group of young men who attempt to use magic to raise the spirit of their dead friend. But, like much of Dixon’s work, the resulting 35-minute suite turns into a meditation on how Black people sustain themselves amid life’s precarity
With production from Sam Koff of the No BS Brass Band (who has also worked with Lucy Dacus) as well as Sam E. Yamaha and local musicians, the music floats from florid orchestral pop reminiscent of early Childish Gambino to New Orleans swing and Nineties style jazz-rap. Several guests appear, from unheralded Des Moines, Iowa rapper Teller Bank$ and Philadelphia upstart Ghais Guevara to established underground stars like Pink Siifu, Quelle Chris, and Blu, the latter who seems to personify the dead friend in question on “Could’ve Been Different.” “You asking me what I think, I’m just a poster on your wall/And I think you know the answer is right in your catalog,” Blu advises Dixon.
Magic, Alive is overstuffed with sound, and all its swooping horns, swelling strings, and choral harmonies feel overproduced. Its best moments are when Dixon and co lock in on a strong hook, like when they chant, “we’re outside, rejoice, rejoice” on “We’re Outside, Rejoice!” What it lacks in hard-hitting beats, however, it makes up for with complexly rendered dramas that at least show how Dixon tries to expand the art form’s ambitions, albeit awkwardly. He deserves credit for devising “All the Loved Ones” around a strange, hauntingly sung refrain like “If you don’t stop playin’ with me, my mama said/She gon’ whoop your ass.” Still, the heart of Dixon’s Magic lies in those literary bars that aren’t like anyone else’s: “These demons/Just so hellbent on being heaven sent/Burning through whatever’s next/Just to find out what forever meant.”
