Big O is an American born British producer who has established himself as someone who creates depth and immersion in his hip-hop and instrumental sound spaces. Big O runs out of his home studio in London, where he performs all production, mixing and mastering- another claim to the conceptual completeness of the project. His music, despite being based on the golden age of boom-bap and J Dilla / Madlib textual experimentation, is continually diverted into neo-soul, jazz, and even Afrobeats. In this album, he goes on his way of his development as a beat-maker to a sonic architect, utilizing rhythm, melody and texture in telling complicated stories in which words would have served as a distraction. Action rather than declaration is the essence of his art, and this is the driving power of this whole trip through 15 tracks.

The most recent full-length release by the Big O is When it is not Said, But Done, which has been a decisive work that is full of texture and beat sequencing. It is a flawless example of a narrative jewel of discovering the way along the way. The album that came in unannounced and without much anticipation is a sense of a one-on-one communication between the artist and his own creation- an attempt to break the old and venture into a new sound /sonic space. The title is the mission statement: the music is the proof of the work, the achievement of a change that did not have to be proclaimed, only the change had to be realized.

Since the first song, the venerable strings and cinematic sound design of the song, From the Ashes (Rebirth), sends a message of renewal, the album can be seen as a 15-step journey of survival. It is an experiment of the might of the instrumental storytelling as it was established that the silence between the notes can hold as much emotional load as a thousand words.

The strength of Big O lies in his analytical style of genre mixing. The songs such as the one titled Sounds of Broken Pieces provide fragmented rhythmic patterns and the old electro-pop arpeggios, reflecting the name of the specified condition of being vulnerable. New Found Joy, on the other hand, is cozy, positive and heart-pumping- a sonic rejuvenation. The first collaborations are employed quite sparsely but with tremendous effect: Jeronimo G gently xylophoning the song Walking into Next Week gives the song a conversational energy to a retro-soul beat, while the spectacular saxophone solo by IB Delight on the song A Better (Me) brings the song to an unambiguous, premeditated elegance.

When it is not Said, But Done is eventually a work of sonic development achieved by pure implementation. It is a masterwork in applying musical discipline to the freedom of art, to encourage the audience not only to hear the art piece that was created, but to enjoy the more complex discipline of becoming.

Track-by-Track Review Highlights

1. From the Ashes (Rebirth): (1:40) A cinematic introduction, the strings swell to indicate a new beginning and a serious, grave atmosphere of what is to come in the journey. (A+)

2. M!dnyight Ryde: (3:52) Quality nocturnal jazz-hop with an upscale and sensuous rhythm– cruise music. (A)

3. Whats in this World: (3:22) Mellow soul with the snapping heavy drum track featuring the boom-bap reverence of Big O. (A)

4. Sounds of Broken Pieces: (2:41) Abstract, texturing rhythms and choppy samples that bring vulnerability and emotional depth. (B+)

5. A Bit of Hope: (3:08) A typical boom-bap knock with soulful samples and optimistic and positive chords. (A)

6. Still Standing: (3:50) An exultant, jazzy victory lap- a statement of strength with its funky groves and forthright rhythms. (A)

7. New Found Joy: (3:20) Jovial and soft, and lighter than it should be, it provides a emotional breakevening to the album. (A)

8. Free Spirit: (3:14) Limber, wide, and very transportive. The rhythmical movement is alive and the listener becomes lost in the openness of the arrangement. (B+)

9. Walking into Next Week (Feat. Jeronimo G): (3:18) Retro-soul with afrobeats touch with modern feel; xylophone by Jeronimo G gives it a crisp feel. (A)

10. A Better (Me) (Feat. IB Delight): (3:06) A reflective modern soul/jazz music. The solo played by the saxophone by IB Delight is a strong point- vibra, and emotional. (A+)

11. Relaxing My Emotions: (3:32) A dreamy, afrocentric jam, which is a mix of R&B and hip-hop that calmly drifts one into a meditative realm. (B)

12. Til my Time Comes: (3:04) Somber yet agitated, powered by a hard-driving four-to-the-floor groove and dark, compelling sound. (B+)

13. A Peace of Mind: (2:53) Hopper, melodic, meditative, in to a serene, traditional DJ Premier groove. (A)

14. In the History Books: (3:13) Serious and intentional, and is serving the purpose of a statement of legacy and gravitas as the album approaches the end. (B+)

15. Closing Theme by Bigrodamous: (2:35) An appropriate film sounding denouement that completes the experience with a retrospective, well-deserved feeling of closure. (A)