MOOR MOTHER - THE GREAT BAILOUT

Released: 08/03/24

One of the most feted acts to come out of Philadelphia’s extremely vibrant arts and music scene, Moor Mother – AKA Camae Ayewa – is a sporter of many hats within the avant garde: a gifted musician, poet and interdisciplinary artist, whose parallel career as an academic (at the University of Southern California) speaks to the fierce intelligence at the heart of her work. 

Perhaps her most ambitious record to date, with The Great Bailout, Ayewa looks beyond the scope of the United States, and traces the history and legacy of colonialism, slavery, and commerce in Great Britain. The content makes for uncomfortable listening, but then as fans of Ayewa’s work already know, making us feel all warm and fuzzy is not her goal – rather, it is about shocking us into action, harnessing art to effect real change in the world. Laudable political statements, however, are no guarantee of artistic quality (just look at Chumbawamba) and the brilliance of Ayewa is that subject matter never comes at the expense of her sonic experimenting, and thrillingly disjunctive poetry – and on The Great Bailout we find some of the best works of her career so far, bolstered by an incredible list of guest artists, such as Lonnie Holley, Angel Bat Dawid, Vijay Iyer, and Mary Lattimore.