I'ts a simple concept and Madlib is full of them. He knows plenty of musicians from all his work on Stones Throw Records. He knows how to lead a band because he plays almost every instrument and then arranges the pieces into a project he calls Yesterdays New Quintet. He knows about rare funk/jazz/soul because he is a producer, and "Loopdigga". He also knows how to get the right people together and take his concepts even further. The album Sound Directions is reminiscent of all the genre's that contribute to it, but can be most easily described as the new heat that's coming from the Stones > Throw school.
_Madlib's Discography has been growing with seemingly unrelated releases back to back to back but I'm starting to see the resemblance. The Lootpack was dope, and helped shape the beloved boom bap era of Hiphop. Stones Throw Records grew from Peanut Butter Wolf's hard work and Madlib was the perfect addition that later became the headliner for the label. Yesterdays New Quintet dropped Angles Without Edges, an album that he wrote and played almost every piece of music, then arranged it and released his one man band. He was then gifted a dream job to remix the legendary jazz label Blue Note Records' catalogue, which he titled Shades of Blue. After that were two duo's, Madvillian and Jaylib, both showcasing Madlib's many musical talents in the Hiphop genre. There were all kinds of other projects he worked on including some alter egos of his making albums. He's gone from straight up Hiphop to straight up funk rock in a roundabout way but he's as recognizable as DJ Premier in musical style and composition.
_Madlib puts in work, and Sound Directions is the newest proof of his dedication to his multi-leveled musical crafts. If you liked Angles Without Edges, and Shades of Blue, and can dig some rare funk/jazz instrumentals, then you should get down. Look for the track Dice Game, which could fit right into a blaxploitation film, and Play Car as a blend between Soulive and Sun Ra. Madlib has done it again.

You can find more on Madlib at:
Madlib | Stones Throw Records and
Madlib | MySpace
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Review, Layout, and Vector Portrait by Kel Troughton for Expresh Media 2006™. Other parts of the graphic are from the cover art. Thank you Trevor Seamon at Score Press. Another Expresh invasion.

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