Terrace Martin garnered the attention of many by being a key part of Kendrick Lamar's masterpiece, To Pimp A Butterfly. Although Martin's contributions to Lamar's record were phenomenal, Velvet Portraits leaves a lot to be desired. It is clear that Martin is an accomplished musician, but this is an album that bores more than it hits.
Velvet Portraits meanders between jazz, hip-hop, and R&B throughout its seventy-minute runtime. There are good ideas here, but more than anything it often comes off as a Robert Glasper circa 2013-2016 record with worse execution. Velvet Portraits and Glasper's Black Radio 2 could be described similarly: there are accomplished musicians and vocalists on these recordings, but things never really get as adventurous or engaging as they should considering who is involved. A good portion of Velvet Portraits comes off as just too smooth.
The musicianship of Velvet Portraits is not exploratory. There are no standout solos or wild instrumental passages, with "Mortal Man" being a disappointing example of what could have been. "Mortal Man" is arguably the best song on the best rap album of the decade. On To Pimp A Butterfly, the song is filled with emotion and fury, but Martin's rendition is much too tame. Considering the strength of the original, Martin's "Mortal Man" could have been something very special, but it lacks the grit necessary for this to be the case.
The above critique also applies to the R&B centered tracks like "Never Enough" or "Oakland". Neither of these songs is terrible, but both could use a bit more vigor to make them truly memorable. There is promise in the hypnotic groove of "With You", however, the vocoder is a bit much and the verses would have been more captivating with a more expressive vocal performance.
The muffled tone of Martin's sax also slightly misses the mark. This approach worked in the murky and dark context of Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly and Untitled Unmastered, but Velvet Portraits is a markedly less heavy affair. Listening to it may cause listeners to wonder whether a clear tone that made his playing stand out a bit more in the mix would have served Martin a bit better. The lowest point of the album is when it dives into classic soul-inspired territory on "Push" and "Patiently Waiting", which both sound very generic.
Things are not all bad on Velvet Portraits. There are three songs that work extremely well: "Curly Martin", "Think of You" and "A Tribe Called West". "Curly Martin" is driven by the extremely impressive drum-work of Ronald Bruner Jr., who is joined by his brother Thundercat on bass. "A Tribe Called West" also has great drumming and features keyboard playing that creates an enticing hazy atmosphere. Kamasi Washington drops in to provide a fine saxophone solo on "Think Of You", a song that revolves around solid singing from Rose Gold.
Velvet Portraits may be a relatively easy record to listen to for those who enjoy R&B and Neo-Soul, but it suffers from a lack of adventure and standout vocal performances. "Oakland" is a good example: it is not a bad song, but a singer as talented as Lalah Hathaway surely could have been put to better use. No one is doubting Martin's talent - he is around the likes of Herbie Hancock and Kendrick Lamar for a reason. However, Velvet Portraits is a case where the product does not match up with the resume.
The musicianship of Velvet Portraits is not exploratory. There are no standout solos or wild instrumental passages, with "Mortal Man" being a disappointing example of what could have been. "Mortal Man" is arguably the best song on the best rap album of the decade. On To Pimp A Butterfly, the song is filled with emotion and fury, but Martin's rendition is much too tame. Considering the strength of the original, Martin's "Mortal Man" could have been something very special, but it lacks the grit necessary for this to be the case.
The above critique also applies to the R&B centered tracks like "Never Enough" or "Oakland". Neither of these songs is terrible, but both could use a bit more vigor to make them truly memorable. There is promise in the hypnotic groove of "With You", however, the vocoder is a bit much and the verses would have been more captivating with a more expressive vocal performance.
The muffled tone of Martin's sax also slightly misses the mark. This approach worked in the murky and dark context of Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly and Untitled Unmastered, but Velvet Portraits is a markedly less heavy affair. Listening to it may cause listeners to wonder whether a clear tone that made his playing stand out a bit more in the mix would have served Martin a bit better. The lowest point of the album is when it dives into classic soul-inspired territory on "Push" and "Patiently Waiting", which both sound very generic.
Things are not all bad on Velvet Portraits. There are three songs that work extremely well: "Curly Martin", "Think of You" and "A Tribe Called West". "Curly Martin" is driven by the extremely impressive drum-work of Ronald Bruner Jr., who is joined by his brother Thundercat on bass. "A Tribe Called West" also has great drumming and features keyboard playing that creates an enticing hazy atmosphere. Kamasi Washington drops in to provide a fine saxophone solo on "Think Of You", a song that revolves around solid singing from Rose Gold.
Velvet Portraits may be a relatively easy record to listen to for those who enjoy R&B and Neo-Soul, but it suffers from a lack of adventure and standout vocal performances. "Oakland" is a good example: it is not a bad song, but a singer as talented as Lalah Hathaway surely could have been put to better use. No one is doubting Martin's talent - he is around the likes of Herbie Hancock and Kendrick Lamar for a reason. However, Velvet Portraits is a case where the product does not match up with the resume.
