After being so impressed by the last Wu-Tang album, I figured it would be safe to check out Raekwon's solo album. The opening track is hooky and works as a song rather than just sounds and rhymes. "Pornogranite" finds him continuing to groove, while not relying on nostalgia, while it is not unlike what the Wu-Tang does, it's not totally in debt to that sound. Inspectah Deck does appear on the second song, which is not a surprise; in fact, it would be more surprising if there were no Wu-Tang cameos.
Benny the Butcher shows up for " Wild Corsicans." It has a sufficent groove, but not sure if it feels as urgent as the first two songs. "1 Life" works thanks to backing off with the more aggressive hip-hop approach and blending in some pop hooks. There are some skits in between songs, but I am skipping over those for the purpose of this review and just focusing on the music. Tommy Nova does not help with the form and function of "Open Doors," which feels more like random chanting than a song.
"600 School" features both Method Man and Ghostface Killah, so needless to say, it feels more like a Wu-Tang song. Swizz Beats also contributes to the production. This is where this album deviates from a Wu-Tang album, as there are more varied producers, whereas Wu-Tang albums tend to have a more singular vibe. "Da Heavies" has a more jazz-inflected sound. This reminds me of 90s New York hipster rap. Speaking of that era, Nas appears on "The Omerta". It also occupies a more 90s mood, though without getting too mired down in nostalgia.
"Get Outta Here" lays back into the more smooth 90s grooves, which allows him more time to spit about more impressive bits of vocabulary. Ghostace Killah returns for this one as well and adds a little more aggression. This is the biggest difference in his solo work vs Wu-Tang is that it is less aggressive. Marsha Ambrosius lends her voice to "Debra Night Wine' which leans too far into R&B. The last song finds Ghostface back, and it makes me think perhaps these songs are leftovers from the Wu album. I will give this one a 9, as it's well done, and if I listened to hip-hop more often, it might have more replay value for m,e but when I am in the mood for this sort of things, I will listen to Wu-Tang's new one instead as it had a more vibrant energy to it. Not to take away from the fact that this album is better than most commercial hip-hop today.
No comments:
Post a Comment