
[ Album ]
Mike Bankhead's latest, I AM EXPERIENCED, is more than just a collection of songs, but a series of vulnerable and open vignettes that form a concept album. It is a sonic dissertation on the brutality and beauty of the Black experience, told from his first-person point of view. Each of the six tracks is in a different genre, but all share roots in Black music. That devotion to transmuting experience into art is why all personnel involved in the album, from the mastering engineer to mixers, art director and musicians are Black creatives. The CD version of I AM EXPERIENCED includes a 16 page booklet with lyrics and essays by Black writers to add context around each song. The CD also allows listeners to access a website with demos, artwork, photos, and footage from the studio.