RZA is almost synonymous with the Wu-Tang Clan and its legacy, creating an unbelievable impact on music and still inspiring artists across many genres today. That’s why it may be a surprise to many that his most recent album, “A Ballet Through Mud” sounds absolutely nothing like any project he has had his name on before.
“A Ballet Through Mud” is an 11-song, 47-minute classical album, stemming from a ballet stage production he had put together in 2023 with the help of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and choreographer Yusha-Marie Sorzano. RZA guides the listener through many of his own experiences, following a story of struggling and understanding love, friendships and self-growth, all while growing up in high school. Through this album, he faces the challenge of expressing his thoughts and feelings solely through sound, rather than putting pen to paper and words to a microphone.
RZA had fought with himself for months over whether he should pair the instrumentals with words. But, according to RZA in an NPR interview, it was actually his wife Talani Diggs, who finally convinced him to leave the project lyric-less. Which I think was one of the greatest decisions for this album.
Letting the music speak for itself can be a beautiful thing. However, it can also be very challenging artistically, as not many people can truly pull it off successfully. While I do think there is some room for improvement as this is his first album in the classical genre, I believe that he really does get his message across fairly well through this musical translation.
The melodic one-two-punch of RZA’s composition and conduction along with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra’s talent and control serves as a great pivot to classical music. Going from the drum machine to the composer’s baton is impressive in itself, but to create something as good as this on the first go is just something else. It’s a testament to how long he’s been in the game and how much of a musical mastermind he is.
It’s hard to describe and review each track separately as typically seen in album reviews, because I think the tracks work collectively in a sort of symbiotic relationship. There is no “Winds From the West” without a “Divine Intervention” and there is no “Divine Intervention” without a “Freedom of Movement,” and so on. I don’t believe that to be a negative quality at all, but rather something that creates one whole cohesive story, something that you need to experience to understand.
“A Ballet Through Mud” is just as the name suggests; it’s a graceful dance through the hardships of life and its growing pains. It’s an ambitious, beautiful, sonically epic anthology and love letter to RZA’s younger self. Going through high highs and low lows, the listener can really understand who RZA was and how he dealt with pain and triumph through the pure emotion evoked through the strings, piano, percussion, woodwind and brass.
I think that RZA’s discography is a great look into who he is and who he was as an artist. He took twists and turns throughout the years, branching out into different avenues and personas, trying to fully explore his mind and express himself. While this newest album from the rap legend is something we have never seen or heard before from him, it’s a wonderful representation of his story, and I think it’s right where it needs to be.
4/5