Terry Blade - American Descendant of Slavery, The Album
Terry Blade is a singer/songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. Blade’s sound consists of a mixture of Soul, R&B, Jazz and Blues with Indie and Folk influences, though it truly exists as its own sonic vibrancy. We previously took a dive into Blade’s profound six track EP, Misery (Mastered for Headphones), and today we listen to Blade’s latest album, American Descendant of Slavery, The Album.
American Descendant of Slavery, The Album, or ADOS for short, kicks off with “Inward” (following an opening interlude). This track presents a hip-hop vibe with a catchy and memorable hook and, importantly, does an excellent job of setting the tone for this album; Terry Blade examines some difficult topics through his music and “Inward” covers some experiences from within the black community, highlighting how misaligned some people’s goals and priorities are. “Black Hurts” is a bluesy track that covers direct experiences about being Black in the current world and the perception that “being black is a burden” - which is reinforced by societal injustices that Blade touches on as well. “MTF” - which I postulate is short for “male to female” - discusses the tragedy of a trans woman who was exploited and then incarcerated along with men instead of the women she identifies with, forced to endure “torment” as a result. These first three tracks kick ADOS off strong and heavy, highlighting Terry Blade’s mixture of genres (featuring hip-hop, Blues and Soul) as well as the incredible depth of his lyrics.
“Mr. Robertson” is a folksy song where Blade asks where the titular “Mr. Robertson” has gone and his subsequent attempt to return. This track appears to be about a father leaving his family as Blade mentions being raised by a “coven” and is yet another difficult topic that Terry Blade is able to cover with such ease and mastery, though the pain in his voice in this song is incredibly pain-filled and real. “Ms. Mizell” follows and is a recounting of a son coming out to his mother as well as the fears around coming out; thankfully the track ends with Ms. Mizell offering her love and support of her son, though it is important to note that not all LGBTQ+ people are so lucky. This song’s deeply personal nature really latches on to the soul and the story’s happy ending is a wonderful, brief reprieve from the deep sadness often shared on ADOS.
“I Want It Back” touches on how there is a racial divide within the gay community and how the causes Blade fights for have outward support but that no one is willing to actually fight for what is right. Further, Blade expresses that he wants his culture and the things stolen from him and his people back; this track has some excellent melodic work on it and I feel like this helps the message hit home even harder. In “They Must Be Kin”, Blade sings about his ancestors - seen in his “grandmother’s photographs” - and how they had to fight their whole lives just for Blade to have a shot in this world, as well as how their sacrifices still resonate with him through his dreams. “Reparations” discusses the injustices presented by white supremacy and how thin white guilt truly is. The track also calls for black millennials to unite and get policy passed to ensure equality actually happens and is not just some false promise dangled in front of them.
Another extremely personal song is “Same Gender Loving” in which Terry Blade shares all of his love for his partner. This affectionate track is a superb modern love song that really showcases some happier energy from Blade and the tranquility it possesses is brilliant. “The Silent Treatment” is the penultimate song from ADOS and immediately reverses the happy, lovey vibe from “Same Gender Loving” by taking us through a bad spat or breakup where the other person is giving Terry Blade the titular silent treatment. The album technically ends with the spoken-word track “Closing - Who Cares For Me?” which I felt was an interesting and creative way to end an album; throughout this review we have omitted mention of the interludes but they are prevalent in the “true” version of ADOS. The final, bonus song from ADOS is a cover of Linkin Park’s classic single, “Crawling”, an absolutely breathtaking interpretation of the track that Blade absolutely owns. It is a touching and appropriate way to finish the album and takes on new meaning when presented alongside Blade’s other work from ADOS.
American Descendant of Slavery, The Album is yet another masterpiece from Terry Blade. In an incredibly natural way, Blade walks us through topical and deeply important societal issues (as well as some more personal to himself) through his lyrics in a way that lets you feel the pain he has experienced in his life and gain a greater understanding of the struggles he and people like him go through. Terry Blade’s voice is an important one and although I do not have firsthand experience with many of the topics he sings about on this album, I can tell you that I feel deeply moved by his music and I believe his is a voice that can - and hopefully will - change the world for the better. The fight for true equality for all rages on and is one that is deeply important - to Terry Blade and hopefully to you as well.
You can find Terry Blade on all of his socials by clicking here: https://compiled.social/terryblade. Blade’s work covers a wide range of topics including including blackness, queerness, mental health and intersectionality and if you like ADOS, trust me when I say it will be worth your while to dig deeper into Blade’s discography. We have American Descendant of Slavery, The Album embedded below - this version without any of the interludes - and you can also find the version with interludes via Spotify and Bandcamp; I feel as though the interludes help to enrich the listening experience a great deal but if you prefer just the hard-hitting lyrics of Blade’s main songs then you can check out that version below!
