GENA : The Pleasure Is Yours
Give the drummer some. Karriem Riggins is a versatile beatmaker in both senses of the word, having been an in-demand drummer since the ’90s with credits that include the Ray Brown Trio, Diana Krall and Paul McCartney, as well as producing tracks for the likes of Common and Erykah Badu—not to mention his own hip-hop instrumentals like those on the stellar 2012 Alone Together. That background in jazz and live performance lends a looseness and versatility to his production that sets it apart. All of which makes GENA’s The Pleasure Is Yours, his debut collaboration with neo-soul artist Liv.e—a similarly versatile artist with two of her own stellar albums in addition to collaborations with Earl Sweatshirt and Mount Kimbie—an even more fluid and unpredictable fusion of hip-hop, jazz and R&B that thrives in the moments where the lines are the most blurred.
The name GENA, an acronym for God Energy, Naturally Amazing (as well as a nod to Tisha Campbell’s character on Martin), can be read as a kind of flex, and with good reason: This duo is wildly, undeniably talented. But it’s also a reflection of their ability to capture “divine moments,” as a press release describes it, the 16 tracks on their gorgeously surreal debut album taking shape in part from improvisation and finding their strength in that sense of open-ended groove.
There’s a playful casualness about much of The Pleasure Is Yours even when everything sounds gorgeous and rich, evident right from the start in “Who’s Got a Problem With Gena?” Against a deep bass groove and a twinkling array of Rhodes chords, Liv.e answers the title question with both a follow-up and a response: “Is it you? Not me, no no.” She likewise employs her boldly smoky vocal delivery in the service of an over-the-top litany of threats about a much-needed ass-beating on “Left the Club Like ‘Really N*gga!'”, singing, “I’m thinkin’ bout giving you the blues right now, I’m thinkin’ bout giving you a bruise right now.”
Most of The Pleasure Is Yours comprises shorter tracks that feel seamless stacked up against one another, moving like Karriem Riggins’ instrumental beat tapes or the vignette-laden recent albums by Yaya Bey. But even within these concise sketches are satisfying morsels, like the hypnotic and beautifully melancholy “You’ve Outdone Yourself Today,” which is perhaps less a song than a mantra, or the bright splashes of piano that color “Readymade,” wherein Liv.e declares, “If it ain’t special, then I don’t want it” before stopping midway to ask “am I in the wrong key?” Absolutely not.
Yet when the duo give themselves more room to stretch out, what they craft is even richer, like “Unspokern,” the first song on the album that extends past the two-minute mark, an extended daydream of shimmering atmosphere and lackadaisical rhythms. A stunning array of horns drives the jazz&b groove of “Douwannabwithastar,” while “Dream A Twinkle” is alight with buttery guitar licks and “This is So Crazy” is a step into a neon fantasy, synths and sputtering drum machines splashing in a downpour of purple rain, complete with blazing guitar solo. They further hone their hook-laden immediacy without the need for unnecessary polish on “Lead It Up,” a sultry and smoky, a late-night groove with the after hours innuendo it calls for (“I’ll make a man out of you, if you leave it up to me,” Liv.e sings).
The quick-hit nature of the steady stream of short, punchy songs on The Pleasure of Yours gives it the feel of a kind of soul-jazz Madvillainy as much as it does the work of a similarly psychedelic chanteuse like Georgia Anne Muldrow. But there’s a fluidity at play that brings to mind a jazz jam session as much as the warm snap of analog underground hip-hop. Perhaps even more importantly, there’s a velvety smooth luxuriousness about it all; even when delivering a 90-second song rife with a sense of carefree humor, everything sounds impeccable, the work of two consummate professionals and masters of their craft arriving upon gold wherever the rhythm might take them.
Label: Lex
Year: 2026
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