Let’s get straight to the meat and potatoes of Marcus Machado; as a guitarist for D’Angelo’s Vanguard and session player for the likes of Robert Glasper and Anderson .Paak Machado’s got a gorgeous, highly-sought-after kind of talent. Machado’s also an accomplished songwriter in his own right, having incrementally expanded his solo discography since his 2015 EP 29.

And though R&B’s decidedly Machado’s strong suit, he’s clearly comfortable within the rock genre as well, heard most recently across his eclectic debut LP Aquarius Purple. Regardless of your sign, or even if you don’t go in for the whole zodiac thing, Aquarius Purple‘s pretty easy to mesh with across its one dozen tracks. The solo joints are nothing to scoff at, and the guest appearances, though sparse in comparison, inspire just as much awe as the rest of the record. Hear (and see) for yourself on “Shape Shift“, featuring New York rapper JSWISS and fellow Vanguard member Ahrel Lumzy!