After being announced in May of 2021, the collaboration album between The Alchemist and Earl Sweatshirt “Voir Dire” was finally released Oct. 6, and it delivers to the high expectations that were set for the album. Earl Sweatshirt and The Alchemist have been working on this project for about two years with little information given about the album until Aug. of this year, where they released two singles “Sentry” (feat. MIKE) and “The Caliphate” (feat. Vince Staples). This album doesn’t have many features other than MIKE and Vince Staples, which isn’t a bad thing because it gives Earl a chance to show listeners how much he has grown since his previous albums.
One of the best tracks on this album is “Heat Check,” where The Alchemist produces a truly beautiful soundtrack that leaves the listener to really take in the smooth guitar and bass line combined with Earls mellow but also quick lyrics. Earl talks about how he puts all of his effort into things he does just to “break even” by people telling him it was just okay at best. This also ties into him trying to get people to like him but they really “don’t feel you.” Earl is trying to be the best person he can be but people don’t really see it the way he does. Towards the end of the track, Earl said, “might head to Mav town, I need a little reset,” meaning he’s tired of trying and he needs to just take a break to reset.
Another thing that this album does an amazing job at — that isn’t executed well by other artists — is the transitions with audio clips, which is a feature The Alchemist is known for. A great example of this is the transition leading up to the track “Mancala.” The transition is not much in length, but it does just enough to bring the listener back to a different side of the album from the previous track. Mancala starts with a strong piano chord and the continuous drum set turns this beat into an almost hopeful beat. Vince Staples has a strong and meaningful verse on this track. At the end of this track is a powerful gospel verse and cuts to someone (maybe Vince) talking to Earl and telling him that even though he is going through something, it can’t take control of his life and he still has to be present in the moment.
However, not all of the songs on the album are flawless. “Sirius Black” is a track that could be worked on. At this point in the album, listeners have already heard what Earl has to say and this doesn’t really change anything he has previously said. With the repetition in these tracks that we have listened to at this point, this track doesn’t have much to offer except the beat that has been provided by The Alchemist, which also seems to be played out at this point. It also doesn’t help that Earl’s verses on this beat feel like there isn’t much to grasp at and it seems like he’s feeling low and is tired of this project — just making another beat for the album to reach a minute mark.
“Free The Ruler” is another great track on the album that shows how well the chemistry is between producer and vocalist. This brings the album back from its monotonous third act and sends it off with an almost triumphant beat. This last track is showing that Earl has overcome some of his problems from his past, even though some things still haunt him. He sings, “excavate what I can. How you ‘gon allocate me my own ****Reanimated, I once had kicked the bucket.” The name of the track also could mean that he has freed himself over his own ruler being the challenges and other problems he had going on. Other than the message on this track, The Alchemist and Earl saved some of their best for last. The beat is a slow chorus of choir over a mellow drum set. Earl also sounded more awake on this track, showing more passion for the end of the album leaving us with the message to Free The Ruler.
Overall, this is a really impressive album going great with its autumn release date. Almost all of the tracks on this album are something to come back to, with only a few tracks being boring but overall a great listen.
“Voir Dire”: ★★★★☆
