From the looks of it, people are starting to get it. Of course there are people out there that live for albums or mixtapes or whatever to drop with ‘lebbindy-hundred tracks, but it seems like when that phenomena occurs, there is way too much filler to wade through. It is evident, however, that TiRon does not believe in bloated projects; MSTRD is all killer and no filler. Ten songs these days are not a lot, but that is the great thing about this project. With the number being as it is, each track has no choice but to mean something- and they do. And with everything being condensed and nothing being watered down, TiRon can do what he does best: tell his story.

Something amazing is that, while much of the subject matter revolves around relationships and love (or lack thereof), it is always told in an interesting, unique and ultimately engaging way. Let it also be noted that TiRon has a style of his own- something that very few artists (regardless of genre) can really say for themselves in music’s current state. Punchlines are not the focus for him. Instead, he would rather convey emotions and stories. The results are brilliant. Though a hard choice, “60901” is definitely a standout track, talking about the young MC’s upbringing with stellar lines like, “And I ain’t grow up in the same neighborhood as Lu’/ Or ‘Ye/ But n****s did move ‘ye to get the loot.”

Analyzing what happens when money starts pouring in,“The Richers” is also an easy choice, with Blu and Asher Roth jumping in. Blu seems to kill it the most though, with an eye-widening free association-esque verse. There are peculiar selections of beats here and there however. What do “Ms. Right” and “Boys & Girls” have in common? They are both DOOM beats (“Coltsfoot Leaf” and “Orris Root,” respectively). It sounds like most of the project is sports original production, so why it was not decided to simply go all the way is unknown. Not to say that the aforementioned tracks aren’t good- quite the contrary- but beat-wise, they do not lend themselves to an overall cohesive feel as much as original beats may have. Hell, TiRon even goes in over a Paul McCartney & The Wings song on “Down.” At the end of the day, MSTRD is a collection of 10 tracks about romantic struggles, personal history and chronicled accomplishments. And it definitely cuts the…well, you know.

By Joshua Glazer     [Permalink]