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…
Pyramids in Moscow can be considered a mix of soul, jazz, rock and hip-hop. It can best be described as a hypnotic dream told through stories by Raw Poetic. Don’t know what that sounds like? Well, it is hard to reference similar artists, other than Raw Poetic and K-Murdock’s side project Panacea, because there is no one like them. Just sit back and listen to the samples I provide while reading the descriptions of a few of their songs and you’ll get a glimpse into the unique sound of RPM…
Less is More starts off with P-Fritz’s astonishing voice and shortly moves onto Raw Poetic’s artistic and eloquent lyrics. The two flow back and forth for the entire song in a graceful and harmonious fashion. This song can be described in one word, inspirational, because of its uplifting mood and insightful lyrics.
Sliders was the first song that hooked me to RPM. I remember thinking that “this guy can really flow (Raw Poetic)”, but when P-Fritz starting singing it was all over… I was instantly hypnotized. I remember playing this to all my friends, seeing if they would feel the same way, and for the most part, they did.
There U R is one of the two songs (the other being Sleep Walkers) that I was addicted to for some time. What can I say… the words captivated me. The only problem with overplaying this song was that I found a beat that didn’t hit my ear right, which became somewhat annoying. To be honest, my play count was over 100, so it was inevitable that i’d find something wrong with it. However, I’ve played Sleep Walkers just as much and still can’t find a thing wrong with it.
Sleep Walkers undoubtedly became my favorite song after a few plays. It’s a rich, vibrant, passion filled, lyrically invoking, beautifully done (etc., etc.) song. This is not only my favorite track of the album, but one of my favorite songs of all time! Give it a listen and let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, though I doubt it. ;)
This album takes hip-hop to another level. It has many well crafted songs not just including the ones I commented on. Everyday I await to hear of news on an upcoming release, which hopefully will not be put on hold by the next Panacea project!
Some other songs I enjoyed off the album are Life is Change, A Quiet Taste and And Another One, which I’ve also included samples of in the player.
[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]
(Listen to a sample of all the featured tracks)
Artist Information:
Genre: Hip-Hop, Funk, Jazz
Location: Washington, DC
Band Members:
Jason Moore (Raw Poetic): Emcee, Producer
Marlon Vann (H2A): Producer
Drew Thomas: Bass
Aaron Gause (Enron): Keyboards, Trumpet
Patrick Fritz (P-Fritz): Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
Fred Jackson: Drums (replaced by Will Bobbit)
Will Bobbit: Drums
Kyle Murdock (K-Murdock): Sampler, DJ, Producer
Additional Albums: Dream Awake
Similar Artists: Panacea
Notes: Raw Poetic and K-Murdock are also in the group Panacea.
Links: RPM Band | Myspace | Facebook | Last.fm | iLike | AllMusic
Album Information:
Release Date: August 1, 2007
Buy Links: iTunes
