I’ve recently started to get into jazz. After searching a popular music forum, I found their “Staff Picks”, and thought I would try out their recommendations. I found Gota as a popular pick, so I gave him a listen. I enjoyed the first track quite a bit, which happened to be All Alone. What impressed me so much was the saxophone, played by Ian Kirkham, and the guitar, played by Kenji Jammer. Both played well off each other, and showed a real elegance in their style. Just give this one a listen, if you enjoy it enough then check out the rest of the album, It’s So Different Here. I decided not to review the entire album because of personal preferences, but if you like this song, you’ll most likely appreciate the rest of it.
[audio:AllAlone.mp3|titles=All Alone]
Going back to 2000, we find a futuristic narrative set in the year 3030. Del tha Funkee Homosapien, or “Deltron Zero” in the story, is a superhero sworn to fight against the evils of the universe (viruses, an oppressive government, the Corporate Bank of Time… just to name a few) with his trusty side-kicks, The Automator or “The Cantankerous Captain Aptos” and scratch mastermind Kid Koala or “Skiznod the Boy Wonder”. Yea, this may sound a little corny for a hip-hop album, but with Del on the mic, Automator and Kid Koalo with backup, it’s a hell of a hip-hop classic.
[audio:3030.mp3,Virus.mp3,Mastermind.mp3,Turbulence(Remix).mp3,Upgrade.mp3,Madness.mp3,MemoryLoss.mp3|titles=3030,Virus,Mastermind,Turbulence (Remix),Upgrade (A Brymar College Course),Madness,Memory Loss]
Background:
Restoring Poetry in Music (RPM) was formed late last century by cousins Jason Moore (Raw Poetic) and Marlon Vann (H2A). Shortly after the group turned into a band enlisting members, Drew Thomas as bassist, Aaron Gause (Enron) as trumpeter and keyboardist, Patrick Fritz (P-Fritz) as lead guitarist and backup vocals, as well as Fred Jackson as drummer (later being replaced by Will Bobbit). A few years down the road H2A stepped down as producer to be replaced by Kyle Murdock (K-Murdock) for the release of their first full-length album, Dream Awake (2004); returning a few years later to help with their second album, Pyramids in Moscow (2007).
If you want to learn more about RPM’s story, go to The Peoples Republic of Hip-Hop & Soul, found here.
But enough of all that, let’s get to the album…
[audio:LessisMore.mp3,Sliders.mp3,ThereUR.mp3,SleepWalkers.mp3,LifeisChange.mp3,AQuietTaste.mp3,AndAnotherOne.mp3|titles=Less is More,Sliders,There U R,Sleep Walkers,Life is Change,A Quiet Taste,And Another One]
A couple months back I was searching through a bunch of, well… shit when I found this gem. From the first song I could tell I was hooked. With their hard-hitting sound, Mayday really pulls off a distinct hip-hop flavor.
Mission Statement: Never has a hip-hop album got it so right on the first track (I over embellish at times). From the first note it grabs your attention and pulls you in. It incorporate some unique instrumentals; but what sets Mayday apart is their ability to flow without missing a beat. This is why I love Mission Statement so much!… along with Macro/Micro… and really most of their songs. :)
[audio:MissionStatement.mp3,4X4.mp3,GroundhogDay.mp3,MacroMicro.mp3|titles=Mission Statement,4X4,GroundhogDay,Macro/Micro]
With the release of his final installment in the “beats to blaze to” trilogy, Frane once again creates a beautiful masterpiece. Each track is a well-crafted composition that should definitely be blazed to!
Gravitational Communications: The journey begins with a downtempo intro, but really starts to shine with the second track, Gravitational Communications. The guitar rift is absolutely phenomenal in it! This, along with Visions of U, are the stand out tracks in the album.
[audio:GravitationalCommunications.mp3,NectarforIsis.mp3,SpaceConvoy.mp3,VisionsofU.mp3|titles=Gravitational Communications,Nectar for Isis,Cloudy Voyage,Space Convoy,Visions of U]