Another banging collection of tracks from none other than Omar-S! It's been three years since the Detroit native's last full length, Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself, and while we were feeling that one for sure The Best just might be even better. Omar-S has a timeless touch with all of his productions which really comes to the fore on the vocal tracks. The Amp Fiddler featuring "Ah'Revolution (Poli Grip For Partials Mix'Nik)" is lead by a thick bassline and free-form percussion, coming off like a Gil Scott-Heron cut from a different dimension. Then there's the housed up disco of "Seen Was Set" with Big Strick reminiscing in the cut. If you're wondering where all the techno has gone, don't sweat, there's plenty to go around. Classic emotive Omar-S with "Take Ya Pick, Nik!!!!!," or perhaps you're more into the dirty and gritty "Bitch....I'll Buy Another One!!!." Whatever the case, there's a surprising amount of variety on The Best. It's enjoyable to hear a seasoned producer like Omar-S stretch out beyond what you would expect.

• music label: FXHE Records 2016

reviewed by Joy Coco 04/2016