Before the landmark Donuts release copperfastened the narrative about James Yancey's sounds and perspectives, the late, great Detroit producer had other irons in the fire.
Recorded in 2002 and shelved by record label MCA because a vocal album was not what they were expecting, The Diary is the latest previously unheard piece of Dilla musical estate to see the light of day.
It contains plenty of sounds and signs of the adventurous producer in the making, with tracks like The Introduction, Fight Club and The Ex lurching this way and that as they maintain a woozy, off-kilter glow.
It’s clear that Yancey was a good man to have on the mic, with strong performances throughout as well as contributions from Snoop Dogg, Bilal and Kenny Wray.
He shared some of the production spotlight too, but the overall drift is unmistakably Dillaesque.
