James ‘the Heartist’ Ablitt launches debut album

Last Friday at the Musicians Association of Gibraltar premises in Wellington Front, James Ablitt launched his first album, A Beautiful Mind. 

In a sold-out event which attracted his core fans and literary friends, musicians among them, waiting for the launch moment.  

Album collaborator, saxophonist Djamal Adib, announced James at twenty to nine and the room erupted in a welcome cheer because James Ablitt is our favourite poet and rapper and is highly respected for his polished performances which elevate the genre from rap to poetry. 

His best words are autobiographical snapshots into his mind.  

For this album, he invited artist Aaron Soleci to share a few snapshots of his own and singer Shawn Cabezutto to beef up the choruses and help the audience join in. 

A genre check reveals that if you were to go to Berlin, the Bronx, London or Paris, a great rapper is called a poet without anyone arguing. 

Rap is seen by many as music first and poetry second, because it’s meant to be heard with a beat behind it and not read in silence.  

James is expert at both methods of delivering his words.  

He has impeccable delivery and his mastery of poetry will captivate any listener within earshot because it’s profound and almost spiritual.  

His stage presence is strong and engaging and, as you admire his amazing recall when rapping, then you know you that have been truly impressed. 

Some years ago, James travelled to Brazil in search of truth and found himself tripping dangerously under the influence of a shaman who fed him (and others) Ayahuasca cocktails (a psychoactive brew) for ten consecutive days, then left them to cope with the trauma of coming down from it.  

It was a psychotic trauma which he would never forget, forcing him to confront his demons and eventually start writing about the long and difficult journey back to full healing. A stark warning to anyone not to experiment with drugs. 

He found his inner voice through writing and connected to it by applying it to his storytelling. 

Curating deeply meaningful poetry and a skill for narration from memory, he has developed A Beautiful Mind, a debut album which I would consider a significant work of art. 

The stage presentation was impressive. 

The album’s musical grooves were produced by Charlie Moore over ten tracks, all different and all of them engaging as, James the storyteller poet, stepped into the beats that would accompany his narrative. 

To replicate the album performance live was a masterclass. 

James’ artistry is doubly meritorious since his words are well crafted in rhyme and grammar; however, it’s the riveting performance of those words which elevate them to art beyond mere street rap. These are confessions which have led to healing. 

All the ten tracks from the album were performed, some alone and others joined by Djamal Adib on sax, singer Shawn Cabezutto and artist Aaron Soleci, who had shared the private conversations with James which partly inspired this album.  

These ensemble raps were a joy to see and hear, and no review can explain or pay tribute to the spell-binding performances that we witnessed on the MAG stage last weekend.  

The appreciative audience couldn’t believe the quality of what was unfolding before them. 

James had the room’s attention all the time and, after the album tracks were spent, he was gracious to go off-piste with a few encores, when he had to pause a few seconds to recall and recite solo.  

This man deserves to be seen and heard live, where the magic of his honest truth-poetry unravels to a beat which transports you to dark corners of his beautiful mind.  

My best recommendation is that you pop into MAG and see him in action under the monthly Native Tongues open-mic Thursday evenings, where you can also sample new talent. 

Well done to all involved in this unique album launch, which has been a long time coming and surpassed all my expectations.