Inkwell
By
Jack Wolff
& Ty Healy
Inkwell is the new album from producer Jack Wolff
and emcee Ty Healy (The Local Healers), which was written, recorded,
mixed, and mastered in just 22 days, pretty impressive! It is also the follow
up to 2022’s The Fresh Organic album. The guys have also been dropping singles
from Inkwell for nearly a year, quietly preparing you for what’s to come.
In fact Ty Healy has said, via Social Media, that this is
his “favourite piece of work I’ve ever done!!!”, which if you’ve heard any of
his work I have reviewed such as The Local Healers and Louis Cypher The YearLong EP which was produced by Pandamonium or, more recently, the Bamboozled EP which was Ty and Pandamonium, you will know that is some statement for Ty Healy
to make.
Ty also said of this project that this is one where the guys
want the music to speak for itself! That said, let’s do just that and see what
the music has to say…
The album kicks off with Pizzazz which has jazzy mix
of keys and drums but, with a few softer sounds mixed in gives that one a
fresh, alternative sound. This one is all about Ty Healy demonstrating his
pizzazz on the mic but, more than that, it sets the tone of the album from the
get-go, showing that Jack Wolff and Ty Healy are the very definition of Pizzazz
by being stylish, exciting and energetic. The vibe then moves to a more funky
feel from Jack Wolff that mixes a head nod beat with keys and synth sounds, to
give you this infectious body moving sound that is Magnum. Here Ty Healy
is all about telling it how it is about being on the mic and dropping those
quality rap vibes, be it freestyling or classic tracks, it’s all about the
quality and the force of the delivery. The sound switches back to a jazzier one
on Pijamacat, which is a little more laid-back with sparce drums and
keys mixed with this chilled flute sound that carries you along, dreaming of
lazy summer nights and that’s those summer nights spent with you special someone
indulging in whatever brings the most fun…
Timeshare has this sound which takes you back the
days of creating beats through a sampler, such as the SP1200, pushing buttons
to create a whole track from a collection of sounds that were either recorder
live or simply sampled. This one is all about taking it back to how things were
and how they change over time as we live and grow. Scrolling has this
mind and nerve bending sound that makes you feel like you are spinning round
and around. That whole vibe of the music fits so well with the fact this one is
all about how so many get addicted to those micro computers in our pockets,
otherwise known as a smartphone. The fact that you can go anywhere and see
people scrolling is a little dis-concerting as they would rather do that than
engage in a conversation. Choices comes with this mix of drums and jazzy
organ notes which kinda helps you focus on the lyrics, which works perfectly as
this one focuses on the choices that we all make day-to-day. There are good
choices and bad ones, there are also the times we struggle to make any kind of
decisions. Every choice or lack of, still has an impact on our life and the
direction we take on that journey.
The mix of keys, bass, drums, and other sounds on
Somebody serves to wonder if you’re listening to a jazzy vibe or a funkier
one. This one seems to be looking at how we react to the things we see and
experience everyday of our lives and, I guess, the message is not to sweat the
small stuff because is it really as bad as it looks and, in the end, all that
stress is only gonna affect one person. The drums and bass of Well, gets
ya head nodding on what is like a skit that speaks on Hip Hop and making music.
It really has this feel of people sat round a table, having a chat, and talking
about the finer points of music production. Drums, keys and some electronic
sounds come together on Wake. The way this one tweaks at your nerves is
important because it makes you focus on the fact that this one is all about
knife crime, those who lose their lives, those left behind and the fact that it
you rarely hear the stories of those who lose their lives to what is almost an
epidemic.
We now move into the second half of this album, which is 18
tracks deep, with Baddies. The BPM rises on this one with its bass heavy
sound which gives it a more modern rap vibe. Here we see Ty looking at how the
younger generation of men seem to feel they have to take on this persona of
being a bad boy because that what the ladies like. But that is missing the
point because the best way to be is by just being yourself and not aspiring to
be something you’re not. That modern trap kinda vibe continues with Portals,
which starts of laid-back before the beat drops and pushes the BPM up, although
the pace does seesaw through this one, something which mirrors the way our outlook
on life changes from one moment to the next. It is the balance between waking
up to what is really going on around you or just staying in an ignorant bliss.
Sparce drums, bass and synth vibes create this short little head nod sound to
accompany Ty breaking down what the word Midlands means when you talk
about that geographical area of England.
Breezy has this multi-layered percussion vibe with
the addition of a few keys, all of which creates this soulful vibe but with
this street, almost grime edge. What I get from this one is that it’s all about
keeping it cold, no matter what you’re doing, because the cold keeps our
attention focused on what we do and what’s going on around us. It’s all about
the details, so the more to keep it cold, the more you are focused on always
bringing the best of yourself. Noir is almost an interlude but, its
short length does not lessen the impact. Ty focuses on the cultural bias and
racism towards those of that skin colour and says just as much in just over a
minute, as some do in hours. Jack Wolff provides a sound scape of sparse drums
and electronic vibes with a more lo-fi sound. Ink is this short
instrumental interlude that comprises of piano, synth, and organ notes. The way
Jack Wolff brings it all together kinda has this effect of making you wonder
what it would sound like if you splashed ink on to a page and each time the ink
hit the page it became a different note…
The sparse drumbeat, and the piano vibes of Crayons
brings a very uplifting feel to the proceedings. That uplifting sound comes
with an emotive edge as Ty details how the innocent musings of his cousin’s son
on how he sees the world can make such a deep impact. Sometimes how children
view the world around them makes so much more sense than what humans have created.
Borders, power, and wealth is something that has caused so much pain and
suffering, as well as separation, causing us to see each other and judge each
other based on all those things, when in reality we are all one. The chilled
vibe continues with drums and piano uniting on Burnout, which sees the
Healer and the Wolff combining to bring us some reflecting on how we so often
work hard, even to the point of burning out, just to make ends meet but,
regardless of how it affects us we still push on, always doing the best for
those around us; even if it’s not always the best for ourselves to keep pushing.
The final track on the album is Sometimes a light-hearted jazzy piano
vibe that has a definite feel-good air about it. As you listen to the words,
the spoken word vibe of Jack Wolff sees him detailing how he makes beats in his
sleep, while Ty raps his way through what seems to be a weird dream world. It
might be a bit tongue-in-cheek style but, it’s a cool bit of fun to round off
the album on an upbeat, positive vibe…
This might mark the end of my journey but, if you grab the
digital Deluxe Edition of the album, you will be treated to a bonus track,
Boastin, which I’m afraid you will have to experience yourself, so enjoy…
For something that was put together in such a short space of
time, Inkwell is an epic album that takes you on some journey. This is less of
a rollercoaster ride and more of trip through life, where you experience so
much of what life can bring, even the emotional stuff.
Inkwell is one of those albums where both producer and emcee
seem to gel so well together. Jack Wolff delivers this jazzy, funky, Hip Hop
infused sound that ebbs and flows along, perfectly supporting Ty Healy’s ship,
which is full of this plethora of vibes, flows and styles; every time Ty
switches things up or down, Jack’s sound morphs perfectly in response, or is it
the other way around? Well, whichever way round it is, does not matter because
the outcome is the same.
I can easily see how Ty sees this as some of his best work
to date because he shows the range of his writing and performing skills, some
of which are pushing his limits a little, which is what all good performers do,
they push their boundaries with an ever-increasing repertoire of vocal and
writing styles, never sitting still but constantly evolving.
Credit where credit is due to Jack Wolff really pulls some
stunning production work out the bag here and playing all these sounds himself
and putting it altogether gives Inkwell a more authentic and individual sound
that is all his own, and it could be that that makes it work so well with Ty’s
lyrics. I mean, it is almost impossible to figure out which came first the
music or the lyrics, because they just feel like they were born as is and not
crafted, they just work so well together…
Anyway, Inkwell from Jack Wolff and Ty Healy is released
tomorrow, 30th June, through the Dock Heist Unit label.
My huge thanks to Ty Healy for asking me to review this cracking album.
So, don’t miss this one, it’s a must for sure.
On that note, I’ll see ya next time.
Steve.
LINKS
Get Inkwell from Jack Wolff on Bandcamp Here:
https://jackwolff.bandcamp.com/album/inkwell-deluxe-edition
Jack Wolff on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/jackwolff_/
Ty Healy on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/ty_healy/
VIDEOS
SOMETIMES
PIZZAZZ
Baddies (Live at the Bodega)
Scrollin ft Joe Egan (Acoustic)
Find more from Jack Wolff and Ty Healy, plus a whole lot more on the Dock Heist Unit YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@dockheistunittv3477/featured
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Thank You
Steve
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