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Mar 19th, 2008 - 07:43:02 |
Does Skill Fit The Bill?
Talib Kweli
Ear Drum
Warner Bros.
“If skills sold / truth be told / I’d probably be / lyrically / Talib Kweli” — Jay-Z, “Moment of Clarity”
In 1998, when Talib Kweli and his counterpart, Mos Def, released Black Star, one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, more than a few heads turned, including Jigga’s. The beats were absorbing and evocative — a delicate fusion of jazzy horns, artful breaks and whispered, rhythmic samples. But the lyrics were especially profound; the verses were carefully crafted and infused with thoughtful metaphors, rich allusions and a linguistic playfulness that would make a deconstructionist jealous.
Nine years later, Kweli is still struggling to reach his own benchmark. To be fair, he’s come reasonably close on a few occasions. When he teamed up with DJ Hi-Tek and released Train of Thought in 2000, the results were impressive. His collaboration with Madlib in 2006, which resulted in the cohesive Liberation, was also solid, although at just over 30 minutes, the album seemed more like an appetizer than a main course. Otherwise, Kweli’s output, from his solo albums to his bewildering array of mixtapes, has been intriguing, but not inspiring.
His latest solo effort, Ear Drum, is no exception. To be sure, the album features an impressive roster of producers, including Pete Rock, Madlib and Just Blaze. Kanye West also contributes his production skills to the bop-tinged “In the Mood,” an offbeat and quirky tour de force which is easily the album’s strongest track. Beyond the beats, Kweli’s rapping, as usual, is stirring and sophisticated. (How many other rappers borrow lines from Langston Hughes and Gabriel Garcia Marquez? Okay, besides Lil Jon?) But somehow, the whole is not equal to the sum of its parts. Holistically, the album seems a bit slipshod and unfocused.
Perhaps this is because Kweli tries to appeal to both the underground and the mainstream. While his music certainly never devolves into the bling-infested hedonism that dominates the airwaves, a few of the beats have unfortunate commercial underpinnings, and some of the choruses are a bit too simplistic for a wordsmith of this caliber. Even though the album opens with the line, “They say you can’t please everybody,” it often sounds as if Kweli is trying to do just that.
When Jay-Z reflected on his own flirtation with pop music, he recognized that skills often don’t sell. But sometimes the skillful do sell out. Truth be told, Kweli has, for the most part, still rejected this Faustian bargain. And as a result, his soulful sound is still intact. — Jay Davis
Akron/Family
Love Is Simple
Young God
A defiant naivete, a neo-hippie-ism well informed of the frightful hustle and stressful bustle of metropolis, portals to a sun-soaked sepia version of the dreams of our dreams. Brooklyn quartet of experimental, folky, druggy, good-time-togetheryness rockers, The Beatles at their most Hindu, The Byrds at their most trippy and You at your most liberated. — J. Milo
Trio of Doom
John McLaughlin/Jaco Pastorius/Tony Williams
Columbia/Legacy
Nicknamed the Trio of Doom, the teaming of McLaughlin, Pastorius and Williams was pure genius. Three of the greatest jazz musicians ever heard joined together for a once in a lifetime show and studio session, then, like a puff of smoke, it was over and done. Luckily the tapes of this powerful trio are finally seeing the light of day. — WW
Waylon Jennings
The Essential
Waylon Jennings
RCA/Legacy
Very few collections called “The Essential” actually live up to the title “The Essential.” Usually they are a hodgepodge collection of songs that might hit on some of what you want. Luckily, The Essential Waylon Jennings more than lives up to its name. Filled with 42 tracks of country classics from his long career, The Essential is an apt title. — WW
local
Hotness
3rd Time’s The Charm
Self-released
Pedal-to-the-metal solos and rough, unremitting percussion, bring-the-house-down-blues-rock with a sexy swagger between the dark druggy allure of the Lizard King, the smokey glam-poeticism of Mark Bolan and the virulent bravado of Zeppelin; stellar debut LP, well produced, aptly capturing the explosive energy of their '70s-blues-rock revival. — J. Milo
in my ear
The D’s Teen Tunesmiths
It must be in the water of the Detroit River, ‘cause kids around here grow up like strong, angry trees that are really good at making a melodious racket. From the trad. garage rock of The Muldoons and The Smashed Windows to the Brit poppy Satin Peaches and Mick Bassett to the opened-for-Ted-Nugent-at-DTE-ness of 19-year-old Alex Winston, The D has teen talent on lock. Here are a just a few of the notables:
The Muldoons
7-inch
The Displays
7-inch
The Decks
Demos
Woodman
Demos
The Satin Peaches
Demo
Mick Bassett
Demos
Alex Winston
By The Roots EP
Starling Electric
Clouded Staircase
The Smashed Windows
Demos
Molly Jean
Summer Afternoon EP
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