If I had to pick my favorite album of 2025 today, it would be JOHN GLACIER’s Like A Ribbon out now on Young Records. Every song is a BIG TUNE and all of them shapeshift into enchanting earworms that captivate this life and past lives! JOHN GLACIER’s music slaps harder than when I first heard Wayne Smith’s “Sleng Teng Riddim” all over JA in 1985. I’m just saying, imagine if Tracy Thorn, Rootsmanuva, JME, LEXXUS, The Streets, and Benjamin Zephaniah all came to life in one human being — the outcome would be JOHN GLACIER. A song like “Found” instantly puts me in a dream state where all comes true. I find so much solace in her flow and I can feel our ancestors jumping for Jah that this person is reaching all of her goals while making people happy with her priceless sonic art.
The production that you will encounter in Like A Ribbon is an amalgamation of all of the cultures that she has encountered on her journey. The beats are so fluid — one moment I get an early Grime vibe then it shapeshifts into a Dancehall vibe before becoming Indie Soul. “Ocean Steppin” is a song that makes me cry and smile at the same time because it reminds me when my life was in a dark place, but I knew the light would come out one day — and it really has :). I want JOHN to know that her music shows so many different dimensions of what Blackness looks and sounds like! I love how she creates from a place of bliss and the vibe is infectious! The riddim to “Dancing In The Rain” is pure Bashment and her flow is colder than a glacier!
Like A Ribbon is one of those albums I play every day and never get bored. As I blast “Heavens Sent,” I can’t help but think about all of the powerful Black women that have impacted my life and the world! Mom, if you were still on this planet, I would turn you on to JOHN GLACIER and I know you would love her. Real talk, Glacier, respect due, you have style for daze!!!
