When Smoke Rises

A very nice way to spend 20 minutes, and a great reminder not to judge an album by its cover.

Unique and not what I was expecting, but as with many artists, the thing that prevents me from fully getting into this is the voice.

Short and sweet, just like I like 'em. And also fairly unique in the modern sound palate.

This was a surprising album from an artist I’d never heard of. It sits at the intersection of indie folk and neo-soul almost like Sufjan Stevens and Frank Ocean had a musical love child. It just works so well. The lyrics are reflective and insightful elevating this album even more. I listened to it three times today.

When Smoke Rises is delightfully full. When All hits, the song could cap the album, but doing so would abridge the already baffling length. "Slowly grows" feels like a strange way to describe a twenty-minute disc; Nonetheless.

Some strong Bon Iver vibes, which I have nothing against, and it asserts its own distinct sound. Really interesting and promising stuff.

Very melodic and hypnotic. A short album, but one that doesn't waste time with anything indulgent. Sharp and crisp.

Nice sounding neo-soul record. I appreciate its short duration, so that feels like a brief moment of relaxation with some beautiful songs

Like Bon Iver but not as overrated. Pretty nice overall, not my favorite genre but I can appreciate it. 3 stars.

This was pretty laid-back, and provided a nice backdrop during my work.

Chill vibes and nice voice.

Interesting

Eh well this is boring. 2/5.

Beautiful, James Blake vibes

Nice and short!

A brilliant recommendation. This is a fabulous album.

Oh boy this is good. Hadn't heard of him and the cover sort of put me off (I later realised he was his friend that the album was dedicated to) but the music and voices were really REALLY spot on. Soothing and sensitive. I can't get over how good this is.

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Stay alive, Air forces, Capo, Ali, What about heaven

Probably one of the worst album covers ... The album is so much better than what the cover made me think it was going to be. Short and sweet, it left me wanting a little more. Standouts: What About Heaven, Ali, Stay Alive, Air Forces Solid album. I'll definitely listen to it again.

Nice, mellow listen that I enjoyed immediately. I think it was well-served by its brevity as the songs were pretty similar in tone to me and if this had gone on for an hour might be too much. But as it is really nice!

Very nice! I was glad to be introduced to this!

Watching the album cover thought it was rap, but instead it's a good RnB album with even some folky elements. Very refreshing!

Never heard of Mustafa before but James Blake is right up my street, so really enjoyed this short but sweet album, love his vocals, straight into my frequent rotation, great suggestion.

It’s been a while since I’ve had such a huge disconnect between my expectations from the covert art and the reality. I was expecting contemporary hip hop but got a lowkey singer songwriter type thing instead. It was a nice snack but didn’t really stick with me.

Enjoyable, laid back back type crooning. Did not over stay it's welcome. Chilled vibes

A rare complaint. At barely 22 minutes, this was too short! I was falling for the woozy, slightly Nick Drakey neo folk souliness of the whole thing, and then it was over!

I liked this a lot, it was cool, chill and nice.

This was gentle and sweet. I didn't know it at all. I'd be interested to listen again. Pretty melodies

A voice as smooth as silk, and as sweet as honey. A few songs in I was thinking he reminded me a bit of someone, and then Sampha turned up to answer the question of who I was thinking of. A lovely album, and a great suggestion

This is pretty unexpected - not entirely sure what it was that I was expecting, but it sure wasn't this. Quite nice though!

Nice

Very good, I enjoyed this one.

Nice, mellow and smooth. Wonderfully short. Similar to, but not as good as, Sampha who collaborates on an early track here.

Chill music

This was quite good, with a stripped down sound and surprisingly contemplative lyrics. The vocals seem a little off to me though. Fave Songs: Stay Alive, Air Forces, Separate

His vocal delivery is beautiful and soulful. I was instantly engaged into the performance. Though the album is short, it also seems a bit one note-ish... the approach is pretty similar track to track and blends together very quickly.

Really nice. Short but sweet.

Sampha’s verse cleared the rest of the album

Unexpected. Another albums where the artwork doesn’t match the vibe. Was waiting for something to kick in, for the music to step up a shear but it never came.

Cute finger food album. Not what I was expecting from the album cover at all. Hard to hate. 3/5.

"When Smoke Rises is the debut studio album by Canadian musician and poet Mustafa. It was released on May 28, 2021, through Mustafa's Regent Park Songs imprint. The album was produced by frequent collaborator and executive producer Frank Dukes with contributions from James Blake, Jamie xx, and Sampha, among others. The songs "Stay Alive", "Air Forces", "Ali", and "The Hearse" were released as singles prior to the album's release. The album is self-described as 'inner city folk music' and is thematically centered on Toronto's Regent Park community.[1]" That text up there is the review that the user who submitted this Mustafa album left when their own choice appeared in the generator. Such passion. Such flame. Yep, you get it, they did the same thing for each album. They merely copied and pasted the Wikipedia blurbs here associated to an album page, every single time. Maybe out of some sort of experimental drive to point out what we all already know here, i.e. that there's no such thing as objectivity in music appreciation. Or maybe out of laziness. Interestingly, this person only did this for the users list. There are no original list reviews to be seen on their main page. And their "all ratings" section is also missing, oddly enough -- even though they *did* grade the 1089 albums (the 3.26 average score kind of proves it). Another intriguing nugget about that user: their "lowest albums" section is empty, which speaks to their open-mindedness (or their awareness of the intricacies and challenges of being a musician). Yet, as if you counterbalance that benevolence, there are only 35 highest-rated albums from the original list -- most of them excellent choices in my own subjective book, sure, but also a sure sign that this mysterious person can be *very* picky. My grading philosophy is radically different (see below), but I do believe this one also makes sense somehow. I'm writing all this whereas I haven't listened to *When Smoke Rises* yet, by the way. But given that I have recently discovered Mustafa through a more recent album, I know what to expect, kind of. Namely a soothing and somewhat off-kilter mix of folk and indie-R'n'B, not always memorable when it comes to the rather by-the-book vocal lines, but at least sounding original, sincere and heartfelt enough. I guess you've already gotten an inkling of my overall impressions about the man's debut album through my grade anyway. I'm writing the review before listening to the album, you see. Only this one time. This here is my own way to get "experimental" as well. Now, to return to the copied-and-pasted Wikipedia blurbs on that person's reviews, one thing bugs me. When you go to the album pages in the users list, those reviews (and the gradings associated to them) are nowhere to be seen. I checked, I was meticulous... Is it a glitch in the matrix? Subtle censorship? Some shadowy cabal? This here will join the greatest mysteries of all time, the ones that keep on nagging me to this day. Like, who really assassinated Kennedy? Where did all those planes go when they vanished in the Bermuda Triangle? Or why on earth would anyone with a set of functioning ears enjoy Debbie Gibson's music? 2.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 3 7.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 2.5). Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 5 Albums from the users list I *might* include in mine later on: 9 Albums from the users list I won't include in mine: 14 (including this one)

Really interesting pick! Very DIY-feeling R&B album, with some barebones hip hop elements faintly present. The Sampha feature was great, he's always a welcome presence. Very cool album, thanks for sharing! 3.5/5

Short and sweet debut. Felt very minimal all around which was interesting.

I’d give this a 3.5. Sounds like some very deep and personal stories told from the artist. Cool insight into them as a person!

I believe this is the first ep I’ve had here, how novel. A gentle listen

Interesting album from an artist I've never heard of it I definitely like the short length but ultimately it isn't anything that unique. Perhaps a full album that fleshes out the ideas more? My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

Yearning and minimalistic R&B/neosoul. Not the worst (or probably the first) of this sub (or sub-sub) genre. Very good voice, thoughtful pacing and tempos. Solid and certainly smoky. "Softly stunning" (Rolling Stone) feels a slight overstatement, though one's glad to know this, which doesn't sound at all street or hood-y.

A soothing and very promising debut EP. It has some James Blake production and a Sampha feature and the influence of those two artists really shines through - it also reminds me of Anohni and the Johnsons in places. Its brevity is maybe at its detriment and it does feel more a teaser than a cohesive and intentional project, but as an introduction to Mustafa’s sound it’s a very warm one. Looks like he dropped a full album last year and I’ll definitely be checking that out

Ok now you guys are running CanCon circles around me at this point. I’ve been aware of this artist for a minute, his debut Dunya is on my personal album todos, but here’s an EP, released three years before, that I now gotta pay attention to. Oh this was added before Dunya, hence it would've been his most complete project at the time. The samples are effective, warm but at the same time ghostly. I think part of the challenge is hearing Mustafa through the admittedly subtle production of British artists that worked with him on this EP- Sampha and Jamie xx especially. I love their stuff, but I hope his future work is less comparable to albums I've heard from the original 1001. I think When Smoke Rises is important though, not just as a tribute to fellow Torontonian Smoke Dawg (seen on the cover) but as genuinely heartfelt music from the inner city that is at odds with, say, less compelling claims like "Started From the Bottom" by Drake. HL: "Separate", "Ali", "Come Back" July 26, 2025

Melodías suaves y relajadas. Voz un tanto melancólica. Para crear un ambiente intimista. Sin ninguna sorpresa añadida.

Not my thing but thanks for being short

Way too soft-spoken and timid to leave a mark. Most of the instrumentals are relatively unexciting, and while Mustafa’s voice is amazing, the lack of dynamics means the whole album passes by like a soft whisper.

Smoke didn't rise for me. Something else did...

Eh. It was a short album, the rest was just there. No need to revisit.

perhaps too chilled for me

What if gangster rap was done by a poet. Well then you get this album. It’s full of street references and clearly appeals to a certain demographic. Mustafa a message is good and understandable but the way it’s presented falls a bit short with the soft tone and chill instrumentals. 4.5/10

Indie folk, R&B. Me ha aburrido. Un 2.

I feel like a jerk giving this such a low rating because this is one of the more heartfelt and sincere user submitted albums that has generated for me so far. I can even pick up on that as I just casually listened as I did stuff around the house so I can imagine if I payed closer attention to the lyrics and what I guess are excerpts interviews etc. but I really can't stand James Blake and his ilk or that style of folky neo soul or whatever it's called. Maybe I'd appreciate this more if it was some kind of written word situation.

Short and quiet. Very 2021. Rating: 2.5 Playlist track: Stay Alive Date listened: 29/09/24

Not my think

Did not really like this

I don’t see the point of adding this album

Dizz to the erpness.

Not what I was expecting or enjoyed.