Talibah Safiya - Black Magic EP (2024) Hi-Res

Black Magic by Talibah Safiya is an anthology of the Southern sound as it has traveled through time. This work is inspired by the legacy of the hill country blues, gospel, and rhythm and blues traditions that have served as the building blocks of American music. Through a critical, yet hopeful lens, Talibah Safiya pays homage to the giants of the genres such as Jesse Mae Hemphill, R. L. Burnside, and Junior Kimbrough by reimagining their classic works. Talibah’s Black Magic is a spellbinding sonic journey that doubles as a capstone project born out of her time as an artist in residence at the University of Memphis’ School of Music Business, where the University’s record label, High Water Records maintains a robust catalog of classic Delta Music. Riffing on the work of ethnomusicologist, David Evans, Talibah Safiya breathes life into the Black American music tradition with the adroitness of an artist turned scholar.

Talibah Safiya’s Black Magic was co-produced, engineered, and mixed by 22-time Gold & Platinum producer and engineer, Ari Morris. The two have combined the songwriting and recording styles of the past with the future of music technology in a seamless, yet groundbreaking fashion. Asserting themselves as thought leaders in the Contemporary Blues genre, Talibah Safiya and Ari Morris have unlocked new possibilities for the Culture.

With support from guitarist/producer Madame Fraankie, producer Brandon Deener, and multi-instrumentalist/producer, ANTE, the ensemble has created actual Black Magic. As a curious black woman from Memphis, TN with a heart full of love for her ancestors’ journeys in the Americas and a willingness to play in their honor, Talibah has accessed her Black Magic. Now, she is ready to share it with the World.