Album Review: Magic, Alive! by McKinley Dixon

we outside, rejoice, rejoice Magic, Alive!'s jubilant disposition is so infectious that it almost accidentally conceals its core theme. Richmond, Virginia's own McKinley Dixon has returned to center stage wielding curious queries about the nature of magic itself, where it can be found, and if its power can be witnessed only in miracles like the resurrection of the dead, or in the quieter moments of beating a bullshit court case or a 20 dollar bill falling from the heavens to give you enough to pay rent. The record's touchstones of searching, loss, and a desire to undo a tragedy only emerge when one begins to look deeper, because Dixon's next-level presentation of his jazz-rap style continues to resemble nothing short of sorcery.

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McKinley Dixon doesn't do anything by halves. The Chicago-based jazz-rap auteur blends the aforementioned genres into a dense and colour-splattered concoction, rife with layers of instrumentation, guest features, and cover art painted in striking bright hues. Narrative concepts are also a recurring feature, which materialise in the form of an impressively literary magical realist tale of three kids trying to contact a deceased friend via the use of magic.

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