NEO-FUNK PRODUCER, spoken-word artist and multi-instrumentalist Farees makes music that defies easy categorization. On his 2015 debut album, Mississippi to Sahara, he incorporated an Assouf guitar style to pay tribute to both his Tuareg heritage and the music of Delta blues. His 2020 album, Border Patrol, was an eclectic 17-song social-political epic that mixed walloping rock riffs with elements of hip-hop, soul, blues and funk.
His newest release, the six-song EP Blindsight, is another fascinating — and thought-provoking — musical journey. Built around his self-described “wall of groove” production style, Farees addresses “fake revolutionaries” and the so-called cancel culture with Stevie Wonderesque exuberance on “Bad Apples,” and he celebrates the social movements of yesteryear on the blissed-out gem “Wistful.”
There are, of course, ample doses of guitar goodness throughout, most notably on a trippy cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Hey Joe,” which sees Farees laying down fierce, wah-soaked rhythms before heading to the outer limits with a turbo-charged solo. And on the widescreen funk masterpiece “The Melting,” he’s joined by Meters guitar legend Leo Nocentelli, who joyously weaves a colorful quilt of intricate six-string textures.
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