It is perhaps to my shame that my knowledge of Vernon Reid is less than it should be. Half a century into his career, the man remains best known for being a member of Living Colour, although there is much more to this brilliant musician. I will leave it to you to explore the impressive resume of the London-born guitarist and instead invite you to dive in deep to the man’s latest solo album, Hoodoo Telemetry, his first solo release for over two decades.
Vernon Reid – Hoodoo Telemetry
Release Date: 3 October 2025
Words: Paul Hutchings
If there was an opportunity to summarise 50 years in just over an hour, then Reid has managed it here. As well as some searing trademark guitar work, the music explores some of the many genres that Reid has immersed himself in.
There are elements of funk, electronica, hip-hop, and, of course, songs with a Metal edge all here in some shape or tangled form, for this is an album that is uncompromisingly fierce. It is evident that the fusion of sounds and colours that were present in Reid’s New York upbringing are etched deep in his psyche.
Vernon Reid recalls the early days of Living Colour’s formation. “We had an ecology of clubs to play at, from CBGBs to the Cat Club and The Ritz,” he says. It is all here in a melting pot of styles, which is unsurprising for a man who has produced Grammy award-winning albums as well as adding his skills to work for the likes of Janet Jackson, B.B. King, Tracy Chapman and Mariah Carey.
Hoodoo Telemetry is an album to sit back and enjoy. The switching styles may jar at first, but once you immerse yourself in the chaos that unfolds, then, like me, you will begin to appreciate the intelligence and creativity.
There are a few tracks here that do not do much for me. Or Knot is not one that hits me, whilst Big Black Car took a while to appreciate. But even if you do not enjoy a song, the musicianship is impressive and appreciated.
From the ferocious fretwork on Door Of No Return that opens the album, this is a journey that feels great. We have the aptly titled Freedom Jazz Dance, which is a freeform jazz movement that comes in early and immediately throws a curveball of chaos into the mix. The playing here is quite phenomenal, even if jazz is not your bag.
Good Afternoon Everyone sees the tempo change, a calmer drive in comparison to the frenetic jazz burst and is followed by the laidback funk of The Haunting, which has some of the first vocals on the album.
The first single on the album, it has got a strong nod to Prince. “I’m a huge Prince fan and there’s some of who he was in that song’s DNA,” Reid says.
His tribute to DJ Logic on Bronx Paradox tips the hat to the hip-hop of his home city. “Everybody considered the Bronx a wasteland, a warzone,” Reid says. “But with hip-hop, those kids created the final original music of the 20th century.”
With his first solo album, Mistaken Identity, arriving nearly 30 years ago, and his last one over 20 years ago (Mistaken Identity was released in 2004), the time is right for more of Reid’s solo work.
“Y’know, the world is a ball on a pendulum,” he says. “It swings. Right now, we’re living through unprecedented times, and not just in America.”
A 14-track opus, Reid freely admits that the album “is like a piece of my all-over-the-place mind.” If you can open yours and allow yourself to embark on your own trip, you will find that Reid’s scrambling may well be more in tune than you know.
Vernon Reid releases Hoodoo Telemetry on 3 October 2025 via Artone / The Players Club Records. Pre-orders are available from lnk.to/vernonreid.
