Oddisee is a producer/emcee originally from Prince George’s County, Maryland. After years of being on his grind, recording solo albums, forming the group Diamond District (himself, yU, and X.O.), and producing tracks for others, he seems to finally be getting his dues. He’s been a part of the Mello Music Group family since 2008, and Odd Seasons might be his most ambitious project yet, a 34 track opus of mostly instrumental work, split into four sections to represent the four seasons.

While there are a few tracks that Oddisee and a few guests rhyme on, Odd Seasons is a project where he shines as a producer and songwriter. It’s really a beautiful collection of songs, with an incredibly wide scope of sounds that’s meant to take us throughout the changing year. It’s really a testament to the strength of his instrumental work that I was disappointed when vocals came back into the mix. If it was more balanced, I might not take issue, but as this album unfolded, I wished it was strictly instrumental. I prefer to think of this not as a slight to Oddisee’s competent rhymes, but more as high praise for his instrumental work. It keeps shifting through styles and moods and tempos, but it all flows very nicely and fits together well. At some points I might compare the album to Donuts, as both share a fluency with soulful down tempo tracks and interesting foundational loops. At other points it leans closer toward Cosmogramma, with quick-moving bass lines and frantic drums punctuated by jazz flourishes.

My only other criticism is that even as an instrumental album, it runs a little long. As it is, coming in at 34 tracks and clocking in around 75 minutes, I would definitely trim some fat, and maybe release a companion EP or something.

If I sound a little harsh in my criticism of Odd Seasons, it’s only because I feel this album could have been one of the strongest releases of the year. For several tracks at a time, I will marvel at the beauty of Oddisee’s production, only to either get distracted by someone’s rhymes or to run out of steam because I’ve been listening for so long. It’s frustrating, but there is plenty to enjoy about this album.