Neighborhoods (Olu Dara album)

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Neighborhoods is Olu Dara’s second solo album. It was released on February 20, 2001, and was recorded during 2000–2001. The 43-minute album was produced by Yves Beauvais and released on Atlantic. It follows Dara’s 1998 release In the World: From Natchez to New York.

The music on Neighborhoods blends blues with jazz, folk, reggae, and other world influences. Dara’s cornet and singing lead the songs, which are built around simple ideas that he improvises around in the moment. The work has been described as upfront and natural, with a bucolic, groove-friendly mood that reflects Dara’s Natchez roots meeting New York’s East Village textures.

Critical response was mixed. Some reviewers praised the album’s warm, improvisational feel and its global, folk-inflected atmosphere. Others felt the songs were unfocused or not as memorable as Dara’s previous work, making Neighborhoods feel looser and less cohesive.