Veteran hip-hop artist Andre 3000 takes a different approach on his newest release, New Blue Sun, which has no lyrics and instead mainly focuses on his flute playing.
Andre 3000 has taken a step out of the box from his usual genre, and has put together an 87-minute album full of innovation. An additional twist is that the music mixes electronic production with live instrumentals.
The instruments mainly being played are 3K’s native flute, bamboo flute, and other flutes that are played digitally. The flute is layered with synths, woodwinds, and other digital instruments.
3K has always been known as an innovative artist, and he has broken the barrier of what music can be on almost every album. This album cannot be labeled with a genre, but if it was to be put in a category, reflective listening would be the best way to describe it.
Andre 3000 has said that he is inexperienced with some of the instruments being played in this album, but every sound throughout the album blends together in an almost perfect manner. The seventh track, “Ants to You, Gods to Who?” is the highlight of this album, and it cannot be put into words other than elegance.
Eighty-seven minutes, though, is a long time to listen to instrumental flute music. It takes a lot of patience to do so.
Listeners can truly immerse themselves in this record, and they can get lost in the train of their own thoughts when doing so. With a plethora of different instruments being played in harmony, and the suspenseful feeling every song gives off, Andre 3000 has put out an album that will be discussed for years to come.
