Dave Okumu And The Seven Generations - I Came From Love (2LP)

Dave Okumu has always felt like the quiet architect behind some of the most elegant British records of the last decade, from fronting The Invisible to shaping Jessie Ware’s early sound. I Came From Love, released in 2023 under the banner Dave Okumu And The Seven Generations, is the moment he steps out with a full-bodied statement of purpose. It is generous, layered and deeply considered, the kind of record that builds its own weather system and invites you to sit with it a while.

What strikes first is the sense of scale. Okumu’s guitar work is as tactile as ever, all satin sheen and sly bite, but it sits inside a widescreen palette of choir-like voices, sub-bass that hums like a distant train and percussion that flickers rather than thumps. He treats space as an instrument, letting notes hang and resolve in their own time. The result is a suite that feels less like a set of songs and more like a living archive, a conversation across time between mentors, peers and the ghosts that live in London’s streets.

The title points you toward the record’s heart. This is music about lineage and care, about what is passed down and what must be remade. Okumu has spoken often about ancestry and community, and you can hear that weight of connection in the way the arrangements move. Voices arrive like family members entering a room, sometimes to sing, sometimes to bear witness. The writing looks squarely at Black British history, not as a museum exhibit but as something present and pulsing. One piece evokes the New Cross fire of 1981 and the protests that followed, the rhythm swaying like a march while a refrain gathers heat. The reference lands without didacticism; Okumu is too musical for that, folding history into melody and cadence so the feeling catches first, then the context blooms.

If you know his instrumental record Knopperz you will hear a shift here. Where that set explored beat science and mood, I Came From Love leans into songs, arcs and voices. The melodies are strong but unshowy. Hooks creep up on you in the final bars, or return two tracks later in a new shape, a neat circularity that rewards repeat plays. The production has that rare analogue warmth paired with modern clarity, the bass plush and the cymbals brushed just so. It is easy to imagine the lacquer spinning; this is a mix built for the format, which makes the I Came From Love vinyl pressing a very sensible way to live with it.

Okumu’s career gives him an enviable contact book, and the album benefits from a revolving door of collaborators who add colour without pulling focus. The guests feel curated for story rather than star power, a chorus of friends and elders who carry lines like shared responsibilities. Even the spoken passages feel musical, as if rhythm has soaked into the syllables. There are moments that nod to highlife and jazz, others that hint at dub and trip hop, yet nothing feels pastiche. It sounds like London, plural and porous, rain on brickwork and bass coming through the wall.

If you are already trawling the racks for Dave Okumu vinyl, this one is the keeper. Among Dave Okumu albums on vinyl, it reads as a centrepiece, a record that connects his early band work with his behind the scenes mastery. And if you prefer to buy Dave Okumu records online, keep an eye on local stockists as well; it is the sort of album a thoughtful Melbourne record store would hand-sell, the staffer waving you over to the counter with a quiet “trust me.” For those searching from further afield, plenty of shops that specialise in vinyl records Australia wide have been championing it, and for good reason.

The joy here is how humane it feels. Heavy themes, yes, but handled with grace and curiosity. The pacing gives you room to absorb, then surprises you with a rhythmic switch or a harmony that lifts the roof a fraction. By the time the final notes settle, you have the sense of having been looked after. That is a rare quality, and it speaks to Okumu’s gift as both musician and organiser of people. I Came From Love is not simply a fine record from a respected figure; it is the kind of album that deepens your listening habits, sends you back to old favourites and forward into new ones, and makes you grateful the needle found the groove.