Poetry and music are two forms of expression that take a lifetime to master — while closely intertwined with each other, each art form requires a certain amount of experience and discipline to get better at. The Chicago-based visual artist, educator, musician, deejay, and vocalist Damon Locks has just done splendidly done so with his latest album, List of Demands.

Based solely on his spoken and text-based work, List of Demands is Damon’s first attempt at gathering all of his thoughts and opinions on Black liberation through a harmony of various genres such as spoken word, hip-hop, experimental improv, and punk, to name a few.

Beginning as a project for the Experimental Sound Studio at the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Damon’s material was eventually developed into a full-length album that oozes with depth and layers upon layers of musical bliss.

Tracks such as ‘High Priestess and ‘The Signal Is Hot’ are the perfect examples of Damon’s unique approach to the album — creating multi-layered compositions that might seem eccentric and bizarre but are intensely personal and intimate at the same time.

While there is a complexity to the songs in List of Demands, such as ‘Reversed pt. 2 (Something to Love)’ and ‘Meteors of Fear’, the complicated and deep themes explored in each song in the album are synthesized and communicated through a groovy approach that is both easy and fun to listen to.

List of Demands is an excellent project by Damon Lock that is definitely worthy of its praise. Rich in social themes and a musical approach that successfully embeds its mark, the album is an intimate exploration and a perfect tribute to the great Black speakers throughout history.