Aladean Kheroufi - Studies in a Dying Love
We Are Busy Bodies
Released on June 7th, 2024
I hope Aladean Kheroufi will forgive the lateness of this review, but it’s important to state at the outset that my tardiness is in no way a reflection of my feelings about Studies In A Dying Love - which is exceptional. Despite being more than two months late in getting this onto paper, I’ve been stewing in the sultry juices of Studies throughout the last number of weeks and the record has stayed at the top of my rotation despite the latent reminder of my procrastination every time I listen to it. I just hope this review reaches you with enough time to let the soul-laced smoky crooning of Kheroufi keep your summer swinging.
Out June 7th, Studies In A Dying Love is a smooth and tender reminder of the reason I have such a soft spot for soul music. Although it is his first full-length LP, the record demonstrates a surprisingly fully-formed maturity, with Aladean Kheroufi asserting his rightful place in the lineage of soul, funk, and R&B from the warm tones of 60s Stax through the cool east coast sounds of 21st century Daptone. That said, the record never paints itself into a corner like some kind of derivative time capsule. Instead, Kheroufi puts his own spin on things - pulling in garage-y fuzz, jazzy psychedelia, and self-aware detours, which provide a freshness to accompany and round out the immaculate soul vibes. The record also paces and spaces itself well, leaving room for the grooves to fill themselves out rather than clutter and distract.
If you haven’t had the pleasure, let me tell you that Aladean Kheroufi is a top-shelf live performer. Having seen him on a few occasions over the last year, beginning at Sled 2023 with a tiny Sloth Records stripped-down solo set and most recently with a full band at this year’s Sled Island Legion performance (which, by the way was a near-unanimous top pick from the CupsNCakes team for top three shows of the festival), the Edmonton-based “Canadian by way of Algeria” is winsome, funny, and an unassuming master at getting shoulders to sway and hips to shake. Part of the charm of Studies In A Dying Love is that it captures this live-feeling immediacy and intimacy with its smoky vocals, sexy bass grooves, beautifully toned melodies, and purposeful backbeats.
Thematically, the record is full of songs about love - the tender love between two people for sure. But in a special way, it’s also a love note to humanity and the full world in all its flaws. Or a proclamation that love is the answer (i.e., track 2 “Love! (Is The Answer)”) that can help guide us through the darkness. There is heartbreak here, but without bypassing the pain, there is also a buoyancy and optimism that helps the lament feel more like catharsis than desolation. A strong contender for my personal album of the year, Studies In A Dying Love does what soul does best, offering both a warm embrace and an invitation onto the dance floor.
- Chris Lammiman