Oct27

CL Smooth – American Me (Review)

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CL Smooth

American Me

Released by Shaman Work


Sure we all like to reminisce over a youth when Pete Rock was to CL Smooth what Eric B was to Rakim, but it's been a damn long time since we had to think in SAT analogies. It's also been as long since the Mecca Don's dropped anything substantial, aside from the occasional cameo, fueling fallacious speculation that he was somehow incapable of spitting over anything but Rock hardness. American Me isn't just a return to form, it's a 16-track rebuttal to a decade's worth of shit-talking. ...

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Oct27

Fink – Biscuits for Breakfast (Review)

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Fink

Biscuits for Breakfast

Released by Ninja Tune


Fink sounds like the kind of music that should be playing in a backwoods cabin while everyone works on whatever they're good at. Throw "Hush Now (ft. Tina Grace)" onto the 45 and see Grandma knitting somberly in her rocker while Ma does the dishes, swaying her hips back and forth to the bluesy rhythms. Pa chips wood out front, on beat with each slow thump, looking up every fifth chop or so to wipe his brow and stare at the sun. In typical Ninja style, Fink's ...

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Oct27

Lady Sovereign – Public Warning (Review)

Lady Sovereign

Public Warning

Released by Def Jam


Given that she's a South London hoodrat who, most days, looks like she just fell out of a strip mall Foot Locker, Lady Sovereign is the last MC you'd expect to give Eminem a run for his money or make Jay-Z's eyes pop with glee (and dollar signs). And she does it by just being herself and rollin' solo'unlike another three-lettered grime queen who made a name for herself by Diplo's ingenuity. Sov , as she prefers to be called, is the very embodiment of a musical ...

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Oct20

TM Juke – Forward (Review)

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TM Juke

Forward

Released by Ubiquity/Tru Thoughts


At first listen, the latest effort by Alex Cowan, better known as TM Juke, sounds all over the place: at second listen it seems to come together a little better. As he hails from the United Kingdom, one is left to wonder where TM Juke got his soul. A few of the tracks sound like they came straight out of Harlem, with their jazzy tones and soulful vocals, especially "So Good" which features complimenting vocals by fellow UK singer, Alice Russell. "Life, Rain, Fall" has a strong ...

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Oct20

Freddie Cruger – Soul Search (Review)

Freddie Cruger

Soul Search

Released by Ubiquity


World famous for his jazzy reworks on mash-up label, G.A.M.M. Sweden's finest, Freddie Cruger also known as Red Astaire steps into the full-length realm with his groovy sense of sound and a quartet of collaborative singers, toasters and crooners. If you caught wind of Puma's extremely rare, promotional only 4x12' box set distributed to tastemakers at this years WMC, it features what is easily one of the grooviest upbeat tracks on the album, 'I Wanna Make You Move' featuring Anthony David. This dj/producer has obvious roots in hip ...

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