Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist VOIR DIRE LP

Consequence Top 50 Albums of 2023 - Rated 30/50!
Rolling Stone 100 Best Albums of 2023 - Rated 59/100!

Voir Dire, the momentous album by Earl Sweatshirt and Alchemist, undoubtedly represents the long-awaited convergence of two rap titans. Earl's personal and intricately woven wordcraft, along with Alchemist's treasure trove of obscure, captivating samples, combine to create an artistic chemistry that permeates "Voir Dire" (which translates from French to "Speak Your Truth"). Earl accomplishes just that as he delves into the analysis of specific phases of his life, particularly in the past where his reflections resonate with immense potency, meticulous detail, and profound insight. The album features notable Los Angeles wordsmith Vince Staples on two tracks and esteemed rap artist, MIKE. On Voir Dire, unmatched lyricism and remarkable maturity take center stage, while personal experiences such as new fatherhood emerge and evolve over stripped-down, spacious Alchemist production - culminating in what many consider to be the best rap album of the year.

The surprise album from an elite rapper-producer combo is lean and beautifully crafted. Both make excellent use of each other's light and shadow.

Collaborative album Voir Dire pairs The Alchemist's soul-sampling, mellow roasted production with Earl Sweatshirt's lucid dreaming flows, an unlikely but surprisingly complementary match....Voir Dire proves that Earl can shine in any context, bringing an inventive, circuitous diagram of rhymes to Alchemist's deep-groove riffs on 'Vin Skully' and transforming the straightforward gospel pianos and bumpy drums of 'Mancala' (one of two tracks on the project featuring Vince Staples) into something puzzlingly cerebral.