Album Review: Brother Ali - All The Beauty In This Whole Life

It's easy to laugh at earnest people. Brother Ali defines earnest, making him easy to laugh at. The fact that doesn't bother him is part of what makes him compelling.

Pen To Paper is classic Ali: furious, fiery, focused. As the world around him spins ever faster, Ali's earnestness stands him apart. Dear Black Son harnesses that same fuel as a father advises his seed, "it's best to keep your hands where they can see them." Retrograde, at times uncool, this angry, awake, alive Ali is the one we need right now. There are some moments where our attention drifts but this record, at its best, is an earnest reflection of the earnest man behind it.