The new sound of Blackness and the new sound of our futuristic humanity are the thoughts that come to mind as I listen to CRUZA’s new album Cruzafied out now on Def Jam. I can’t tell you why, but as I immerse myself in their intergalactic soul, I have visions of picking blackberries in the summer Savanah sun as a young raggamuffin. As the levitating sounds of “Lovers Rock” play, I remember growing up in a home full of Black music that made me happy to be a Black youth surrounded by the raddest expression of melanated sonic creativity. CRUZA’s tunes are portals of R&B bliss that will enchant your senses while making you want to dance. Real talk, I love seeing how my brothers and sisters are coming together to reshape what we know as Cosmic Funk! Imagine if the Brothers Johnson – D’ Angelo – Jah Shaka – Omar and Portishead decided to collaborate on a project — the outcome just might sound like Cruzafied. Honestly, this album is not just about one single, this record is about the vibrations that CRUZA wants us to feel. The vocalist in this band is so on-point — as I bump big tunes like “On Fye,” I can’t but think about Elizabeth Frazier of the Cocteau Twins on an R&B tip. “Supa Anxious” is my jam, after hearing this song I was hooked and knew that Cruzafied was one of my favorite releases of 2024. So this is the deal — I know for a fact that these creative humans are ahead of their time and that they are going to really find love in the UK more than everywhere else! If the band reads this, I want them to know I appreciate them for pushing our culture forward! I was going to end this review, then “Veronica” came on. I fucking love that song. It should also be said that CRUZA has mad style for daze and I love all of their design work/visuals!
