Georgia Anne Muldrow: Soul Gardening

Since emerging from L.A.'s indie soul scene in the mid-'00s, Georgia Anne Muldrow has issued numerous projects espousing funk as life-changing epiphany. Her latest, Seeds, is one of her best. That's partly due to Madlib, the eccentric Stones Throw Records beatmaker who loops '70s soul and jazz samples into a brightly melodic background for Muldrow's inspired lyricism. A California hippie who wears her heart on her sleeve—she titled her 2004 debut EP Worthnothings after a brief and disastrous move to New York—Muldrow pushes her voice until it wavers, seemingly about to break. She's a raw and emotional singer, and overflows with convictions.

On "Wind," she remembers her father, the late jazz guitarist Ronald Muldrow, by describing him as a fisherman dutifully caring for his children; and she claims that the world is in a Dark Age, or "Kali Yuga," adding that we should "Google it" if we don't know what that means. "Husfriend" is a loving tribute to her husband, rapper/vocalist Dudley Perkins, and at one point he appears on the album, too. More than just a family affair, Seeds is Muldrow's vision of spiritual sustenance. It's hopelessly idealistic, but that's part of its charm. – Mosi Reeves, Google Play

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