Detroit producer/MC Black Milk has been quite busy since his Fat Beats debut, Popular Demand, dropped in early 2007.  Collaborative albums with Bishop Lamont and Fat Ray, as well as production contributions to Pharoahe Monch, The GZA and others have kept Black firmly in the indie rap spotlight while he prepared his sophomore solo effort.
   
  The underlying theme to Tronic is this:  Black Milk has the best drums in the game right now.  Write that down, or bookmark it on your iPhone or whatever it is you do.  His shit bangs.  They sound great, and his programming is unique and a refreshing alternative to the "I jacked Dilla's swing" movement linked to many a Detroit producer.  Black has a sound distinctly his own; recognizable, and for good reason.
 
  Tronic also continues in the direction of this year's Caltroit in that Black largely avoids samples, unlike Popular Demand.  This is usually a red flag for sample dependant producers; things generally end badly when you stray from what made you hot.  That is certainly not the case here.  The few songs he where he does use samples are among the strongest on the album, specifically "Losing Out" and "Try,"  but when left strictly his own devices, Black is more than capable.  In fact the gullier songs on the album are sample-free, "The Overdose" and the Fat Ray assisted "Hell Yeah."
 
  Did I mention he can spit too?  Producer/rappers are usually heavily skewed in one direction or the other, and while he was never wack, Black has certainly stepped his mic game up since Popular Demand.  There is a definite Detroit flavor to his rhymes, and whether that's your taste or not, dude knows how to ride his beats.  He also has solid taste in guests, and the talent to not over rely on them or get completely outshined, holding his own alongside vets like Sean Price, Royce 5'9", and Pharoahe Monch.

All said, this album from rap's reigning drum king is a must cop. Tronic was undoubtedly one of the better rap releases of 2008.

-P. Dub

http://www.myspace.com/blackmk

John Robinson's I Am Not For Sale is a mixed bag of industry commentary, storytelling, braggadocio, and golden age nostalgia, ie: somewhat standard indie rap fare.  There are certainly some bright spots, but there is also a stumble or two along the way.

JR a.k.a. Lil' Sci sounds like a mix of Nas and Talib Kweli, and that's not a bad thing at all.  The man clearly has skills, most ably demonstrated on the impressive "Don King."  This love story narrative over an extra knockin' instrumental from underground favorite Flying Lotus is easily the standout of the album.  Robinson also displays a healthy dose of skill on the title track and "Fly Presidente," although the latter suffers from one of the albums cringe-inducing skits. (I officially propose a moratorium on all rap skits unless your name is Redman)  

One very refreshing thing about this album is the lack of guest rappers; every rap verse on the album belongs to JR, and that's a welcome change to what has become the norm. (Did anyone else notice how long the guest list is on the new Ludacris?)  Apart from the intro, the only guest is Peter Hadar on "The Mascot," which unfortunately happens to be on the weakest song on the set.  JR's flow is decent, but this hip-hop serenade is awkwardly executed, and the hooks and bridge are just plain badly written and uninspired. (Yes, I get the point of them not using metaphors, but that makes it no more sincere or clever)

I Am Not For Sale is a decent effort from a solid MC backed with mostly good beats, but is a bit up and down, especially considering the length. IANFS clocks in at a scant 33 minutes, which is fine, but one would hope to get a more consistent level of quality on such a short LP. It's certainly worth a listen, but this album doesn't exactly stretch any boundaries.

Admittedly, I don’t protest to have much of an ear for anything falling under the guise of electronic or house music, so perhaps this review is best taken with an abnormally large grain of salt. That said, coming in with limited exposure to the genre may in fact allow for a more direct and honest assessment of the material.

Getting beyond any Devil’s Advocate role-play was difficult enough without having to subject myself to the ‘Switchblade’ EP from HEARTSREVOLUTION. Having now heard it, I can simply say that I don’t get it. Surely a market exists for this collection of sounds; a market that has no qualms defining this syrupy, repetitive contrivance as “music”. Clearly I have not cast my lot amongst them.

The ‘Switchblade’ EP is a five-song collage of drum machines, keyboards and pretty much all things synthetic that is rather difficult on the ears of someone accustomed to strings and actual drum kits that require a pair of sticks, not the push of a button, to make a desired sound. Still, I suppose the repetition of the “notes” achieved is music to someone’s ears, provided that someone has purchased the necessary accessories (several Ecstasy tabs, glow sticks and plenty of bottled water) before going about spinning the actual disc.

The title track begins the album, giving the listener an uneasy feeling as to what they’re in for and where exactly this disc is taking them. As with most electronic and generally-themed “dance” music, the answer is “nowhere fast”.  “Wolves and Libertines” stands out as something in the vein of Gorillaz-meets- anime soundtrack, and in fairness shows why some people can get into this music as it is, if nothing else fast paced. That’s an underlying theme along the whole of the album. Unfortunately it doesn’t trump the other themes that persist throughout: repetitive and robotic. Think Herbie Hancock and the movie version of ‘Tron’ thrown into a blender.

I have no issue with artists being experimental and bringing me along for the ride into a new, or at least less visited, genre of music. I just hope that they can find some originality in doing so. This disc isn’t the answer there, but if you’re among the neon scene who can stomach raves and artificially-enhanced noises, this may be something that will find its way into your rotation.

- Jared K. Watson

Foot-stomping acoustic blues peppered with elements of folk, country, and rock among others provide an eclectic canvas for Langhorne Slim’s soulful-if-unique vocals on the re-issue of the artist’s debut LP “When The Sun Goes Down”. The album was originally recorded in the summer of 2004 and early in 2005, in “various apartments in Brooklyn, NY”. Such a liner note wouldn’t necessarily put blues foremost in the listener’s mind but Slim and company remove any doubt of their ability to deliver on another generation’s music while showing warranted respect to one of America’s unique musical genres.

 There’s not a whole lot in the way of technical tweaks or digital re-mastering as one might expect on a re-issue, but there is a five-track bonus disc of some previously unreleased material In all fairness it’s really only four new tracks on the bonus disc, as “I’ve Been All Around” is simply “Hope and Fulfillment” with a different title. Not to say that they sound alike; they’re literally the same song. There’s also the chance to catch up on an ascending talent whose work has rendered critical acclaim and a growing fan base with the return of an album out of print for the better part of two years.

 “When The Sun Goes Down” kicks off with the up-tempo lover’s lament track “In The Midnight” and transitions nicely into the quick, banjo-driven “Set ‘em Up”. The quiet, innocently haunting “Mary” follows and, upon first listen, nearly derails the energy created by the first two tracks. Upon subsequent plays one realizes it’s actually quite a nice respite. Similar to “The Electric Love Letter” and a couple of later tracks, Slim shows a vulnerable, soulful innocence as he meters pitch to match the simple, breezy back-porch picking of guitars, banjo, and stand-up bass wrapped in soft background harmony.

Another quicker track, “Loretta Lee Jones”, shows further diversity by lending its roots, whether by design or happy accident, to the sounds of late 70s/early 80s retro rock-a-billy outfits like The Blasters. I must admit the lines “I wanna take you to the seashore/Wanna take you back to Margate/ Wanna take you to see Lucy” appealed to both the Jersey beach bum and Weird N.J. fan in me. Tracks such as “Hope and Fulfillment” and “I Will” show clear Celtic influence, albeit with keys, banjo and other strings converging to replace traditional pipes, further illustrating Langhorne Slim’s range of influences.

The overall tone of the album fits well with the raw, resonant, and mostly self-produced feel. Slim and band members Malachi DeLorenzo and Chris Taylor share production credit The unfiltered, outright soul-felt notes and lyrics to create a nice time capsule of an artist on the rise in the music scene. When Slim finally is the household name, at least on the blues/folk scene that he’s en route to becoming, one can reflect back on “When The Sun’s Gone Down” and enjoy the initial take-off.

- Jared K. Watson

I’ve been a fan of just about every artist on Duck Down Records. Currently Sean Price is my favorite MC on their roster. The brutally honest way he attacks beats and creates his rhymes has earned him fans everywhere. Any artist that Sean P executive produces, let alone co-signs like Sean does here has a high bar to clear. Maybe the expectations were too lofty, but Rusty Juxx falls just short of the mark here. The opening track, “Wipe Off Ya Smile” featuring Blaze, brought a lot of promise with it. From the beginning you notice that, much like his mentor, Rustee has a flow that’s easy to enjoy. But despite the great beat on that track, the project as a whole is hampered by lackluster production. The beats weren’t horrible, they just weren’t very compelling, leading to tracks that were good but not good enough to stand out. This trend is bucked with the Black Milk produced “Duck Down!”  and the last two tracks, “Blaze My Fire” and “Optimistic.”  This leaves Rustee in a good spot. With the experience of making this album and the backing of Sean P and Duck Down, hopefully we’ll be hearing a more complete record from him.

Benz

It’s not too often that a mixtape comes out that inspired by a Stephan King book. The Lost Tower borrows in concept from King’s “A Dark Tower,” an expansive series of books in which King incorporated multiple themes and genres. One way in which Synatra replicates this is by including a great deal of spoken text in the album. The result is much like a book on tape set to beats. As a result the storytelling becomes the focus of this album. The story follows our hero as he navigates a world that is two thirds hood and one part sci-fi. At times the spoken narration is a bit too long, as bigger portions of the story should’ve been told by the MC. It goes without saying that a cat that makes an album like this is creative. Synatra also happens to be a very agile lyricist and storyteller in his own right. This project is good as it is, but it would be that much better if the rhymes were framed by the text instead of the other way around. “The Lost Tower” challenges listeners to abandon convention and listen to a couple of different ways to tell a good story.

I usually cringe at the prospect of reviewing compilations. The name conjures images of overpaid and undertalented DJs babbling nonsense as some rapper I hate phones in another sixteen. Luckily rules have exceptions and DJ Revolution’s, ahem, compilation album “King of the Decks” is just that. With this project he bucks current mainstream and makes a good album helmed by a turntablist.

The first element of this album that sets it apart from others is the Rev is extremely talented. Where as most popular DJs, who are dissed by Rev on “Scratch Nerds”, have little to no real skill on the wheels, Rev is a master. There is no shortage of amazing technical displays, but if I had to pick one it would be “Invaders from Planet Scratch” featuring DJ QBert. As a big fan the artform, I found it just short of amazing. Then there is “The Biggest Up.” Here you’ll find DJ Premier giving Revolution the literally the biggest co-sign ever. If you are a DJ and Premo feels your work you know you are on to something.

Rev hails from the West Coast and the album has a definite Westside vibe to it as he produced all but two tracks. His beats are good, definitely better then what most DJs create. Talented Cali MCs such as Tash, Planet Asia, and the Strong Arm Steady crew are among those that put in work. To balance the album out, a cast of East Coast MCs are allowed to shine. KRS-One, a guy that’s been letting down fans of late, flexes his legendary skills on “The DJ.” Sean Price, Buckshot, Bumpy Knuckles, and Joell Ortiz also rose to the occasion. I second the nerd on track nine that started laughing when Whoo-Kid, Clue, and DJ Khaled’s recent work was mentioned. 

- Benz

I recently read on one of my favorite blogs of the need for adult contemporary rap music. De La Soul was put forth as the type of hype that was in demand. While I agree that more rap for grown-ups is always a good thing, the thought of “adult contemporary” hip-hop terrified me. Thoughts and sounds of long elevator rides, endlessly posting up in doctors offices, and three hour drives with co-workers. I was also insulted that De La could even be considered for this make believe genre.