Majid Jordan make the turn personal on Two Roads

Two Roads is Majid Jordan declaring who they aim to become next. Their fifth LP dropped August 28, spans 15 cuts beyond the 50-minute point, trails Good People, and was cut in London across two weeks alongside Clementine Douglas and Alex Lestig. That’s the external narrative. Within it, Jordan Ullman labels the project the most open, truthful work he and Majid Al Maskati have delivered, and Al Maskati remarks he’s never witnessed Ullman more authentic.

The record gives the claim its road map. Two Roads mixes R&B with post-rock riffs, electro-pop and French touch touches, and the guest spots make that tangible. Clementine Douglas shows up on Best Behaviour, Naomi Sharon features on Island Time, and that guest piece is the longest at 4:07. Near it, Have I Gone Too Far? starts with 4:04, The Reason ends at 2:14, and the title cut closes the journey in exactly four minutes. The order has a form, and that form concerns movement.

The flaw sits in the middle of that motion. Cold, Rather Be With You, See You Again, Look What You've Done and The Reason all run between 2:14 and 2:59, which fills the record with exits rather than destinations. A fast song acts as a tool, not a flaw, but 15 tracks with such compression points demand editing time more than a two-week London session typically provides. Intent goes a long way. Prioritization falls behind.

The 4 case is the goal: a fifth LP that mixes R&B with three distinct external styles and uses two credited guests to show it. The 3 case is the length: a 50-minute album with too many tracks under three minutes. Two Roads lands at 3.5 because it closes with a final stretch of 3:54, 3:42 and 4:00 that gives the record a place to finish, but the earlier roads remain under construction.

The tracklist

Hear it