John Carroll Kirby might not be a name you recognize on its own, but you have most certainly heard the Los Angeles pianist/composer/producer’s work in collaboration with other artists, such as Solange, Shabazz Palaces, and Blood Orange, just to name a few. He has been releasing solo projects the last few years, such as 2017’s Travels or 2018’s Meditations in Music. His most recent release came just a few weeks ago, when he dropped the surprise project, Conflict. Now he drops his first full-length album for Stones Throw, My Garden.

Kirby might not be an obvious choice for Stones Throw, but as you work your way through My Garden, you can start to see how it kind of makes sense. It’s an interesting album in a lot of ways, but mostly in the way that Kirby has really navigated this in between space with his music – it’s not quite jazz, it’s not hip hop or downtempo, it’s not rock, and it’s not classical, but yet it’s drawing upon all of these influences to become it’s own thing. There’s also no virtuoso moment, so he’s not going to wow you with his skills as a pianist, and there’s certainly no big beats or complex rhythms or unorthodox sounds on the album as well to create a singular standout moment. It’s an incredibly difficult album to pin down, because while I can list all of these things that the album isn’t, I struggle to put into words just what makes this album appealing. And that’s the thing – this album has really grown on me in a short amount of time. Perhaps it’s because that Kirby is so skilled and sure of himself as a composer and producer, he knows that he doesn’t have to resort to any fancy tricks. Instead, he’s just trusting in some seemingly simple compositions with memorable melodies that are well developed, beautifully played, and sequenced just right to take you on an emotional journey. It’s absolutely a headphone album, something that sounds perfect as you lay in the sun and soak up the world as Kirby’s compositions dance around in your head.

My Garden won’t blow you away at first, but before you know it, John Carroll Kirby’s subtle and nuanced approach to music will have snuck up and overtaken you with its beauty. It’s really clever in the way it unfolds and brings together all of these different elements and genres into its own unique style, with Kirby’s understated piano playing leading the way.