It’s Okay – Cravism X Maya Diegel (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

If you decided to boil hip-hop down to its basic essence, just its vibe, and underlying groove, you would eventually end up with something so understated and refined that it would probably be better labeled ambient soul. Just before you get to the point, you will pass through a sound that is typified by It’s Okay. Sure, this is a hypothetical scenario but it does help to describe the sonic brilliance of this latest release from Chill-hop duo Cravism X Maya Diegel.

Hailing from Paris, jazz-trained singer Maya Diegel met Singaporean producer Cravism when he was playing in Cornwall, which in itself is the perfect analogy for the boundless and borderless way that music is made and collaborations come together in the modern age. It also says something about the evolution of music, speaking of jazz traditions dancing in perfect, slow, seductive harmony with the chilled, hip-hop beats, a blending of generic sounds, a productive clashing of eras, sounds and styles, old meeting new, east meeting west, of moving with the times and how a fresh sound can grow from the familiar. But if you don’t want to delve that deep, you are still left with an utterly beautiful song, and that is what really matters.

It’s Okay is chilled and cinematic, hushed and hazy, gorgeous and gentle but, particularly when viewed with the video, has plenty to say about the stress of modern life and the reason that we need people in our lives to remind us that everything is going to be alright, that we all need someone from time to time to tell us that It’s Okay.

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