What began as a session to record a single in observance of Juneteenth 2020 developed into this thoughtfully crafted and sequenced EP of original material that grieves, seethes, consoles, and beams. Written and produced by Keith Mack, who also integrates spoken sections from James Baldwin, John Lewis, and Nina Simone, 1964 is the best showcase yet for the combined talents of singers Tony Lelo, 2E, and J. Vito. They start with "My Life Matters," a grieving but resolute ballad that's part front-porch congregation and part street-level protest. The frustration bubbling through that song intensifies in "The Warning," a trap-blues hybrid in which they're on high alert, demanding justice and wary of police brutality, with assistance from fellow North Carolinians Ricco Barrino and Petey Pablo. After they deliver a gospel-based "Message to America" (contrary to the title, it's more a reasoned questioning of white America) and show off their effortlessly smooth harmonies on the hopeful "Imagine," they end with "Celebrate," a shining homage to late-'70s Earth, Wind & Fire.