Magic, Alive!
| Magic, Alive! | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 6, 2025 | |||
| Genre | Jazz rap, conscious hip hop | |||
| Length | 35:08 | |||
| Label | City Slang | |||
| Producer |
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| McKinley Dixon chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Magic, Alive! | ||||
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Magic, Alive! is the fifth studio album by American rapper and singer McKinley Dixon. It was released on June 6, 2025, through the City Slang label.
Release
On February 19, 2025, Dixon announced he would be releasing a new album and released the single "Sugar Water", featuring Quelle Chris and Anjimile.[1] The title track, "Magic, Alive!", was released alongside its music video on June 4, 2025.[2] Magic, Alive! was officially released on June 6, 2025, through City Slang.[3]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 83/100[4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Rolling Stone | [5] |
| DIY | [6] |
| Paste | 9.4/10[7] |
| Sputnikmusic | [8] |
Magic, Alive! received positive critical reception upon its release. Matt Mitchell, writing for Paste, hailed the album a "conceptual, allegorical achievement", praising Dixon's ability to create "nearly a dozen short stories touched by a block-wide echo".[7] Tom Morgan of DIY described it as "rife with layers of instrumentation, guest features, and cover art painted in striking bright hues", praising the conceptual storytelling of the album.[6]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Watch My Hands" | McKinley Dixon |
| Yamaha | 1:46 |
| 2. | "Sugar Water" (featuring Quelle Chris and Anjimile) |
|
| Yamaha | 2:01 |
| 3. | "Crooked Stick" (featuring Ghais Guevara and Alfred) |
|
| Yamaha | 2:31 |
| 4. | "Recitatif" (featuring Teller Banks) |
|
| Yamaha | 4:03 |
| 5. | "Run, Run, Run Pt. II" | Dixon | Dixon | Sam Koff | 3:08 |
| 6. | "We're Outside, Rejoice!" | Dixon | Dixon | Koff | 4:13 |
| 7. | "All the Loved Ones (What Would We Do???)" (featuring IceColdBishop and Pink Siifu) |
|
|
| 4:46 |
| 8. | "F.F.O.L." (featuring Teller Banks) |
|
|
| 2:51 |
| 9. | "Listen Gentle" | Dixon | Dixon | Koff | 4:16 |
| 10. | "Magic, Alive!" | Dixon |
| Yamaha | 2:42 |
| 11. | "Could've Been Different" (featuring Blu and Shamir) |
|
| Yamaha | 2:51 |
Personnel
Credits adapted from Tidal.[9]
- McKinley Dixon – lead vocals
- Dave Kutch – mastering
- Jason Agel – mixing
- Alex Dejong – engineering
- Kyle Williams – engineering
- Eli Owens – harp (tracks 1, 9)
- DeSean Gault – drums (tracks 2–8, 10, 11)
- Anthony Cavanaugh – bass guitar (tracks 2, 4–11)
- Sam Koff – trumpet (tracks 2, 5, 9), keyboards (6)
- Stephen Roach – piano (tracks 2, 9–11), keyboards (5)
- Joseph Clarke – background vocals (tracks 2, 9, 10)
- Teeny – saxophone (tracks 2, 11)
- Sarah Tudzin – guitar (track 2)
- Anjimile – vocals (track 2)
- Quelle Chris – vocals (track 2)
- Etienne Stoufflet – saxophone (tracks 3, 6, 10)
- Alfred – vocals (track 3)
- Ghais Guevara – vocals (track 3)
- Teller Banks – vocals (tracks 4, 8)
- Reggie Pace – trombone (track 5)
- Elizabeth Moen – background vocals (track 7)
- Sinkane – background vocals (track 7)
- The Lil Homies – background vocals (track 7)
- IceColdBishop – vocals (track 7)
- Pink Siifu – vocals (7)
- Palehound – guitar (track 8)
- Brandi Wellman – background vocals (tracks 9, 10)
- Tasheera Wellman – background vocals (tracks 9, 10)
- Gina Sobel – flute (track 9)
- Sam E. Yamaha – piano (tracks 10, 11)
References
- ^ Paul, Larisha (February 19, 2025). "McKinley Dixon Previews New Album 'Magic, Alive' With Latest Single 'Sugar Water'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ Horvath, Zachary (June 4, 2025). "McKinley Dixon Brings Infectious Energy To "Magic, Alive!" Single". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ Horvath, Zachary (June 6, 2025). "McKinley Dixon Moves The Soul On Passionate Album "Magic, Alive!"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ "Magic, Alive! by McKinley Dixon". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
- ^ Reeves, Mosi (June 3, 2025). "McKinley Dixon Does It All For the Art". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ a b Morgan, Tom (June 5, 2025). "McKinley Dixon - Magic, Alive!". DIY. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ a b Mitchell, Matt (June 4, 2025). "McKinley Dixon Finds His Wings in the Bombast of Magic, Alive!". Paste. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ YoYoMancuso (June 8, 2025). "Review: McKinley Dixon - Magic, Alive! | Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
- ^ "Magic, Alive! / McKinley Dixon / Credits". Tidal. June 6, 2025. Retrieved June 9, 2025.