Kiefer Shackelford - It's Ok, B U (2LP) - 45RPM Yellow Vinyl

Kiefer has always had that rare touch where jazz piano and hip hop head-nod meet, but It’s Ok, B U might be the clearest expression of his voice so far. The Los Angeles pianist and producer, signed to Stones Throw Records, keeps things compact and honest here. Short tunes, strong melodies, and a sense that the beats are a conversation with the keys, not a backing track. If you know his earlier work, the warm Rhodes and buttery left hand will feel familiar. What’s changed is how open the record feels, like he has tidied away the virtuoso moves that don’t serve the song and kept the ones that light the room.

Kiefer’s background explains a lot. He cut his teeth in the LA beat scene and studied jazz, so he speaks both languages. He is also a Grammy winner thanks to contributions on Anderson .Paak’s Ventura, and you can hear that same easy pocket here, a kind of soft-focus groove that never loses the click of the metronome in your bones. But this isn’t a features album or a producer’s beat tape. It’s a songwriter’s record without lyrics, where melodies stick after first pass and the harmony unfolds slowly, like street lights coming on at dusk.

The production is deceptively simple. Piano, Rhodes, a bit of Wurlitzer, drums that breathe like a live kit even when the programming is meticulous. There is air around the instruments. Kicks tuck under the piano’s low register. Snares sit back, slightly dusty, with a gentle push on the backbeat that makes the swing feel human. You get the sense much of this was honed at home or a trusted LA room, the kind of setup where you can leave the mics up for weeks and chase a feeling rather than a schedule. That patience shows. Nothing shouts. Everything invites.

What I love most is the way Kiefer shades joy with reflection. He writes tunes that smile, then throws in a chord that makes you think about the afternoon you just had with an old friend. The title reads like a note you would tape to your own mirror. The music answers that note with patience and care. There are moments that feel like a Sunday drive down the 110 with the windows cracked, and others that feel like you stayed late at the piano after everyone left, playing the same phrase until it meant something new. He is a careful listener to his own ideas, and that makes you a careful listener too.

If you are crate digging, the It’s Ok, B U vinyl is worth the space. Kiefer vinyl tends to reward a quiet room and a decent stylus, and this is no exception. The low end has weight without fog, and the keys get a little extra wood and felt that digital often sands off. I spun it at home in Melbourne on a rainy night and the room got that cosy glow. It is the kind of record you recommend at the counter of a Melbourne record store when someone asks for something mellow but not sleepy. If you are looking to buy Kiefer records online, this is the one that will convert a friend who says they do not really listen to instrumental albums.

In the context of his catalogue, It’s Ok, B U sits nicely beside Happysad and the Between Days material, but it is less moody than the former and more complete than the latter. The pieces feel finished, even when they are brief. Little details jump out on repeat plays, like a quiet left-hand figure that answers the melody, or a drum fill that barely lands and still makes you grin. There are no sharp corners, just confident turns.

Critically, Kiefer has been embraced for this blend of tenderness and groove, and it is easy to hear why. In a crowded field of lo-fi tags and playlist fodder, he writes songs. You can hum them. You can learn them. They are sturdy enough to hold memories. That is why people reach for Kiefer albums on vinyl, not just to decorate a shelf but to live with the music and let it breathe in the room.

If you are in Australia and browsing vinyl records Australia listings, keep an eye out for this one, new or used. It sits well next to your Madlib and your Ahmad Jamal, and it will not scare off the housemates. And if you are building a small stack for a quiet night in, It’s Ok, B U has that rare balance of comfort and craft. Nothing to prove, plenty to share. In a world that gets loud for no reason, that feels like a minor miracle.