On Come With Fierce Grace, Alabaster DePlume provides us with an exciting glimpse into his creative process and the magic of his collaborative improvised jams.

This new LP, which is available through International Anthem as of today, is built out of the raw unused material from the same sessions that brought us the excellent Gold double-album that came out last year. Despite being in a more stripped-down state, the pieces are still as dreamy, celestial and moving as ever.

These ethereal cuts play as snapshots of DePlume and his collaborators communicating freely with each other musically as they develop their synergy and explore new and fascinating ideas. You could easily hear how sessions like these could then be built upon with orchestration and effects to produce more elaborate and polished works, like what you’d find on the British artist’s previous record.

What’s best about this album though, is that DePlume proves he doesn’t need the lush production and arrangements to produce moving, gorgeous music. With largely just the musicians he gathers around himself and the warmth and openness that is shared between them, he shows he can achieve sprawling, meditative works that invigorates the spirit and the mind.

Fans of Ali Farka Touré and Mulatu Astatke will instantly recognize the greatness of this record. Pick it up for yourself today.

-KH