“Cause I’m cool like dat/I’m out.”  After releasing two seminal efforts (1993′s Reachin’: A New Refutation Of Time and Space & 1994′s Blowout Comb) as a member of Digable Planets, Ishmael/Butterfly (alongside Ladybug and Doodlebug) played a major role in redefining the Jazz/Hip Hop infusion.  Yet, almost as quickly as they rose to prominence, Digable Planets disbanded and vanished from the scene almost entirely. 

Evidenced by his earlier work, Ishmael has never been afraid to go against the grain, or push the musical envelope. And that inclination is furthered here with his reinvention as Cherrywine.  With a great deal of his post Digable era spent in both Seattle and New York, Bright Black, mixes in elements of both, as it intertwines the bohemian coffee shop vibe of NY, and with the aid of a live three-piece ensemble, a left coast influenced bump that pervades throughout most of the LP.  While Ish does a great deal of scatting on “What I’m Talking”, the trill organ wails, synth throbs, and crisp staccato claps of his backing accompaniment manages to keep things interesting.  And though Ish is the main attraction, its his backing members that stand out; “Dazzlement” is augmented by eloping drums and agro computer burps as Ish’s playful chorus (“thugged out/pimped out/iced out and blinged out”) represents a state of mind, rather then the extols of all things excess.  Likewise, vocoder effects and funky bass chords add a dirty element to Ish’s relationship conundrum on  “Anchorman Blues”—”I had to lie because the situation called for that/I had to lie because what I would have lost with the truth I could have never got back.”

For better, or worse, Ish seems to implement a throw it against the wall and see what sticks mentality with Bright Black, and while this is done with elegance over the slinky xylophone effects of “American Drip”, Ish drifts with little purpose on the singy-songy “Gracefully” and the trippy “See For Miles” where the many cocaine references are used as a metaphor to explain our longing for love, manipulation and control.  And while a comfortable medium is found on the (albeit brief) acoustical nod “All I Can Do”, even when Ish gets back to basics on the jazzy “Sleep Pretty Girl” it’s not as cohesive as previous efforts. 

So, is Ish’s long overdue return, Bright Black, the rebirth of the slick?  Well, yes and no. Though it takes a few listens too become acquainted with the new mosaic, Ish returns with a sophisticated rendition of a Soho player’s ball.  Play on player…