DJ Mag — Music News — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 BST
Summary
Saul Williams, a poet, actor and writer who emerged from New York's 1990s open-mic poetry scene, has released "Leap Life," his first new album in four years. Unlike his earlier hip-hop-leaning records such as 2001's "Amethyst Rock Star," this album features slower, more deliberate vocal delivery paired with dense production blending ambient atmospherics, jazz, and live instrumentation, including bamboo flute and khaen on "Great, Great-Grandmother." The album incorporates varied styles, from amapiano on "The Dagger" to jungle influences on "Controlled Is Not Controllable," the latter featuring Robert Del Naja of Massive Attack. Its title references Williams' February 29 birth date.
‘Leap Life’, poet, actor and writer Saul Williams’ first new album in four years, is a real mulligatawny soup of a record: rich, wholesome and packed with dense flavour, the kind of album to be chewed upon, savoured and considered, rather than wolfed down whole.
Although Williams emerged from the open-mic poetry scene in New York in the ‘90s, early albums like 2001’s ‘Amethyst Rock Star’ could — with an open-minded squint — pass for hip-hop, with boom-bap beats and Williams’ eloquent, arresting flow. We’re far from that on ‘Leap Life’, though: Williams’ delivery here is slow, thoughtful and wise — grave, even, at times — combining the commanding presence of a preacher with the linguistic depths of a poet. It serves to highlight some outstanding lyrics, such as the beautiful couplet “Project dreams how bodies interpret what every rhythm means / What do fishermen dream?” on the opening ‘Baobab Constellations’.
The production, meanwhile, is as dense as mountain fog, a mixture of ambient atmospherics, jazz, live instrumentation and inspired choices, such as the arresting combination of “mouth strings”, bamboo flute and khaen (a bamboo mouth organ from Laos) on ‘Great, Great-Grandmother’.
The result is a powerful, sometimes overwhelming, work that demands your attention. But if ‘Leap Life’ is undoubtedly a serious record, it is far from inhospitable or austere: ‘The Dagger’ has the vibrant swing of amapiano, ‘Controlled Is Not Controllable’ (with Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja) flirts with jungle and ‘Robot Slave’ has an earworm chorus and irresistible bass line. Rather than just ‘Leap Life’, then — the name a reference to Williams’ February 29 birth date — it feels like all life is here, on an album that bubbles and squirms with outrageous humanity.
Original article: https://djmag.com/reviews/saul-williams-leap-life Source: DJ Mag