7/10

Despite being most well known as the founder and head of the illustrious XL Recordings, Richard Russell is slowly beginning to prove himself as a true music visionary with his own solo project. After the first self-titled Everything Is Recorded album managed to land him a Mercury Prize nomination, there was always this lingering feeling that the producer wouldn't be satisfied to stop at just one full-length release. So no more than two years later and here we are with his sophomore collection 'FRIDAY FOREVER', a record that sees him experiment loosely with the concept album.

While the themes amongst all the tracks may not be that closely connected, they all feature a time stamp within their listing, implying that each offering is spiritually attached to a certain time of day in some way or another. But just like his debut release, 'FRIDAY FOREVER' looks to bring in a diverse mixture of artists and labelmates to provide their own mark on this collection. But unlike the first, which was filled with household names like Sampha, Giggs and Ibeyi, this new LP is more about showcasing the lesser known talents emerging right now, providing a rich and eclectic platform for many of these newcomers to really shine.

It may not have that same sense of urgency that the first record had, but 'FRIDAY FOREVER' still makes for a thoroughly captivating and enjoyable listen. Russell's own musical dexterity has this fresh and interesting flow to it, making for the perfect backdrop for rappers and singers to show off their talents upon.