THIS RECORD! Maurice Brown joined the Ropeadope family with his Mobetta label in a whirlwind session of discussions, and he dropped this gem that we rank as one of our top releases of the year. Maurice has a brilliant combination of purpose, perserverance, and talent that set him in the front of his generation of musicians. The Mood features incredible performances by Kris Bowers, Chelsea Baratz, Chris Turner, Joe Blaxx, Weedie Braimah, Saunders Sermons, J. Ivy, and Talib Kweli. The expected groove, polish, and trumpet pyrotechnics are there, yet The Mood reaches much further with adventurous exploration and rounds out with the message of 'Stand Up', delivered by Talib Kweli. This song should be the anthem of 2017.