Adrian Younge first made a splash by scoring the 2009 film Black Dynamite, a parody of blaxploitation movies of the 1970s. It was on this score that Younge displayed his talents as songwriter and arranger, combining influences such as Ennio Morricone, Isaac Hayes, and RZA. On his latest project, he harkens back to a piece of work he did much earlier, a film score to a fictional film called Venice Dawn. Now using that film title as his moniker, he gives us Something About April.

For this record, Younge developed the idea that this album would be the soundtrack to a fictional film that tells the tale of an interracial couple circa 1968. The video for “Lovely Lady” gives a sense as to what this movie would be like, and it’s a premise that definitely sparks some interest. Given that he also enlisted the help of guitarist/writer/arranger Dennis Coffey, known for his session work at Motown and the brilliant score to Black Belt Jones, it is easy to build up high hopes for this record. The conflict I keep coming to with Something About April is that while it’s easy to recognize that Younge is talented, I can’t say that this album is particularly moving. It’s one of the hardest things in music to capture, yet it’s something we often take for granted. I can picture how this album could accompany a film made in 1968, and I can recognize that Younge had worked hard in writing and arranging a record that combines psychedelic, soul, and baroque styles of music into a comprehensive sound. However, once the album is over, I can’t recall any one moment in the music that stuck with me. Once the record is over, so is my connection to it. My suspicion is that Younge has gotten too caught up in concepts and styles and missed out on that core connection to the audience that needs to be established for the music to resonate with it’s listeners.

I realize this is one of the tougher arguments to make and explain, but it all boils down to an incredible amount of frustration that this record didn’t grab my attention the way I thought it would. There’s too much talent here and too many interesting ideas to have a record come across this bland. I have faith that Younge has a truly great record within him, it’s just not this one.