Jazz artist Ambrose Akinmusire is not a well-known musician to the mainstream community, despite a reputable history in his profession. Akinmusire debuted his first album, “When The Heart Emerges Glistening,” in 2011, featuring a jazz quintet.

Now, Akinmusire has released a follow-up record, titled “The Imagined Savior is Far Easier to Paint.” While the title and track listing is unorthodox, that is where the uniqueness ends. Quite simply, this is a boring, uninspired album that doesn’t bode well for Akinmusire’s recording career. While sophomore efforts are naturally challenging, “The Imagined Savior is Far Easier to Paint” is atypically uninteresting and dull, with very few stand-out elements.

Akinmusire, while obviously talented on the trumpet, does little to bring his power and voice to the recording. The first song, “Marie Christie,” allows Akinmusire to flex his musical muscles following a relaxing piano intro, but the song never seems like it is building toward a climax. Likewise, the middle section, featuring a complex trumpet solo by Akinmusire, seems poorly structured, and therefore unexciting. “Marie Christie” unfortunately sets the tone for the rest of the album, although a few songs fare better than this poorly-conceived introduction.

“Our Basement,” the album’s third track, is assisted by female vocals along the typical piano and trumpet bits. Singing about a lost loved one, Akinmusire’s trumpet accompanies the vocals well, echoing lyrics and adding chemistry between singer and musician; also, the duo’s fade-out at the song’s conclusion leaves the listener with a chilled feeling. While “Our Basement” holds up well compared to other songs on “The Imagined Savior is Far Easier to Paint,” it is not a good sign that the first truly interesting song on the album comes three tracks in.

“Vartha” is a stable, easy-listening piece, perfectly suitable for relaxing settings and careful listening. Piano motifs pepper the song, with only an occasional trumpet flourish to punctuate the carefully-laid melody. This song’s non-lyrical nature means the listener has to form their own story around who or what is “Vartha,” and this method works well against the emotional piano playing. As a slower, more thought-out track, “Vartha” is one of the more listenable songs on The Imagined Savior.

Most of the remaining 10 songs on the record are more or less the same as the aforementioned tracks. This monotony is The Imagined Savior’s biggest downfall, as the album becomes sluggish and unenjoyable to most listeners. “The Beauty of Dissolving Portraits” is unique in that it utilizes string instruments to keep the melody moving, a welcomed break from the hitherto typical string bass drive. Likewise, “Rollcall for the Absent” features nearly-indistinguishable children’s voices, once again leaving the listener with a figure-it-out-for yourself effect. Like “Vartha,” this method is interesting and thought-provoking, unlike the majority of the album.

If anything, Akinmusire should be praised for his creative track titles. Unfortunately, the album’s substance fails to make the same kind of impression. The only people who will likely get any extended enjoyment out of this album is die-hard jazz fans, but even after the first four or five tracks, the listener will have heard everything the album has to offer. It is a shame that Akinmusire has created a substandard album, as his skill as a musician is not in question. Rather, the album’s structure, monotony and bloated length hinder the artist’s otherwise favorable impression.

Grade: D