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D.L. Chandler is a known hip hop critic who writes reviews for Okayplayer.com, and is also an artist himself, Mash Comp from the hip hop group Dumhi. He recently did a cool twitter based review of Ecstatic, Mos Def’s latest album, which I thought was an interesting use of 140 characters. I went through and reordered it based on the tracklisting. Check it out below and follow him on twitter. @DLC123.

01. Supermagic (Produced by Oh No)
Mos Def “The Estatic” Tweet Review – “Supermagic” – Oh No’s track is amazing & MD amicably matches the intensity. Just beats & rhymes. Dope.

02. Twilite Speedball (Produced by Chad Hugo & Mos Def)
Mos Def “The Estatic” Review – “Twilite Speedball” – Chad Hugo’s track goes in, but Mos Def isn’t bringing the goods lyrically. mas o menos.

03. Auditorium (featuring Slick Rick, Produced by Madlib)
Mos Def “The Estatic” Review – “Auditorium” – Perhaps the disc’s strongest track, bolstered highly by Slick Rick’s cameo. MD’s verse is dope

04. Wahid (Produced by Madlib)
Mos Def “The Estatic” Review – Wahid – Madlib’s track is dope per usual & MD’s vocal are high in the mix, supreme clarity. Subject tho? Eh.

05. Priority (Produced by Preservation)
Mos Def “The Estatic” Review – Priority – MD sounds comfortable here, song’s 2 short. Preservation’s track is enjoyable. Great song here.

06. Quiet Dog (Produced by Preservation)
Mos Def “The Estatic” Review -Quiet Dog Bites Hard – Preservation on the track again. MD slays this. Topically messy, sonically pleasing.

07. Life In Marvelous Times (Produced by Mr. Flash)
Mos Def The Ecstatic Review – Life In Marvelous Times – MD’s grimiest sounding performance yet. Attempts to sound epic, seems contrived. Meh

08. The Embassy (Produced by Mr. Flash & Mos Def)
Mos Def The Ecstatic Review – The Embassy – interesting if overlong intro. fantastic beat. MD rhymin’ to be rhymin’ but it SOUNDS DOPE.

09. No Hay Nada Mas (Produced by Preservation)
Mos Def The Ecstatic Review – No Hay Nada Mas – MD rapping in Spanish? The track is smooth and sparse enough but uninteresting song.

10. Pistola (Produced by Oh No)
Mos Def The Ecstatic Review – Pistola – perhaps the 2nd best song on the LP. Oh No’s beat helps. MD helps himself by spitting direct. Heat.

11. Pretty Dancer (Produced by Madlib)
Mos Def The Ecstatic Review – Pretty Dancer – A rare clunker from Madlib. MD does his best to make it happen but it nevr does. Needs 2 grow.

12. Workers Comp (Produced by Mr. Flash)
Mos Def The Ecstatic Review – Workers Comp – Mr. Flash is a problem. MD takes this song all over the place. Might need 2 sit with this one.

13. Revelations (Produced by Madlib)
Mos Def The Ecstatic Review – Revelations – ‘Lib’s beat is so INCREDIBLE. MD adds on w/ perhaps my fave verse from him on the LP. Greatness.

14. Roses (Georgia Anne Muldrow featuring Mos Def)
The Ecstatic Review – Roses – I prefer the original but beautiful song here. Georgia Anne Muldrow fans rejoice. Good pairing.

15. History (feat. Talib Kweli, Produced by J Dilla)
Mos Def The Ecstatic Review – History – Dilla’s beat is amazing & Kweli delivers a STRONG verse. The song is very good. 3rd best easily.

16. Casa Bey (Produced by Mos Def)
The Ecstatic Review – Casa Bey – didni’t like it @ first. grew to @ least tolerate it. dope video tho. weird song. fits the vibe tho

In all, The Ecstatic is one of the LP’s you have to really sit with and absorb. It’s prolly @ best as a headphone/long trip LP. It made me go back and appreciate “True Magic” I didn’t think that was possible. Better than New Danger tho (to me) Mos Def fans will like/love it but HEAR that he’s not giving full lyrical effort. He’s become reliant on style & voice. Sonically, the beats match Mos Def well. He’s never flat out wack. Singing has always put me off tho. Never loved that.

My last words on The Ecstatic – less than triumphant return for Mos Def. Brilliant moments, flashes of lyrical ability. Lots of meandering.

The homie Chopsteak posted a review of Southbound’s latest project, Seasons Change. Go check it out the review along with some track from Seasond Change now at ChopSteakMusic.com!

Phranchyze – Customs

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In case you missed it, the homie Chopsteak reviewed Phranchyze’s latest release, go over to ChopsteakMusic.com and check out the review.

	Benny Blue The Meaux Project S/R, 2009 Rated 3 out of 5

Listen to MC Eiht – Thuggin’ It Up Meaux Remix

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Benny Blue -  The Meaux Project Side A
Benny Blue -  The Meaux Project Side B

This double-length album is a collection of remixes from Pittsburgh, PA producer, Benny Blue. He is with the Steel Town Sounds crew, a collective of Pittsburgh producers.  For this effort, he has taken a collection of diverse hip hop and R&B tracks and remixed them using a distinctive jazz, funk, and R&B-sampling sound.  Overall, the tracks are mostly breezy and understated, with a few having a higher energy.  In some cases, they fit the tracks perfectly.  In others, though, they lack enough punch to match the vocals.

After a brief intro, the album gradually eases into a stutter-stepping version of Detroit MC Royce Da 5’9″‘s Hip Hop.  With just piano chops and drums, the track is very sparse and light.  It works decently, but leaves the listener wishing there was a bit more to grab onto.  This seems to set the trend for the early part of the set.  Kanye’s We Major is still piano driven and jazzy, but has a bit more meat to it.  Again, though, something feels like it is missing.  He finally hits his stride two tracks later, on a funky reprise of California hardcore rapper, MC Eiht’s Thuggin’ Out.  Here, the understated nature of his production becomes an asset, lending a smoothed-out west coast vibe to the track’s tough rapping.  On the following track, however, the haunting track for Busta Rhymes’ club banger Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See.  That sets the pattern for the rest of the first disc.  He does however, do a first rate job on Slum Village’s Selfish, lending the track a cool Robin Thicke vibe that would sound at home on a lazy Sunday afternoon drive.  The second disc picks the energy up just a bit though.

After a long intro with some interesting found movie audio and an awkward remix of Rich Boy’s Throw Some D’s, side C gets into the best few tracks of the whole set.  Mos Def’s Summertime is another lazy groove, but with a fuller, soulful sound.  Like the Slum Village track, it is perfect for Mos’ raps.  Diddy, Loon, and Usher’s I Need A Girl gets a light, funky treatment, and  Pussy Cat Doll, Nicole Scherzinger’s Supervillain is a really nice Latin disco bounce for the roller rink.  Method Man & Busta’s What’s Happening is the one of the higher-energy tracks on the set, with a spare funky bassline and syncopated drums.  After this, the album again recedes into slightly too light territory.  Masta Ace’s INC Ride and AZ’s Doe Or Die are decent, but not terribly memorable.

This double album has it’s share of high points.  Where it fails, however, it errs on the side of too sparse and light.  Still, the best tracks definitely make it worth a spin.

Chop Steak is an Austin, TX hip hop and R&B producer.  He also has his own blog.

	Heltah Skeltah “D.I.R.T. Duck Down/Koch, 2008 Rated 3.5 out of 5

Heltah Skeltah – Ruck n Roll (produced by Stu Bangas)

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By Choppa

The choice to appear on the cover of a hardcore rap album wearing a mask and a cape, like an extra from some R. Kelly video gone awry, isn’t one many artists would make, but then again, normal isn’t a standard that Heltah Skeltah can really be held to. That the Brooklyn duo would have a “much anticipated” release in 2008, a full decade since their last album is nothing short of amazing. This is due to the cape-clad Sean Price, who resurrected himself in the form of “the brokest rapper you know” on his out-of-nowhere solo debut, 2005′s Monkey Barz.  With that album, and its followup, 2007′s Jesus Price Superstar, Price, a.k.a. Ruck, set the stage for this reunion.

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Back on the University of Texas campus for the first time since their Gregory Gym show in 2002, Philadelphia hip hop band, The Roots has seen a lot of changes in the intervening 5+ years. Multiple personnel changes have occurred, inevitably changing the sound. The rap-rock tangent that marked their 2002 release, Phrenology, as a left turn from the more straight-ahead Things Fall Apart is long gone. In its place on their studio albums is a meticulous and detailed, if more subdued, sound. The Roots have proven nothing if not dynamic, however, in a career spanning well over a decade. In some ways, that has proven an asset, as they have never stagnated creatively, or fallen into the same ruts as many of their peers have. One constant, however, was always the live show. While the songs and the people playing them changed over the years, the same energy and skill always made them worth seeing. When the intro was over and they settled into their set, however, it was clear that something was different this time.

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The Following is an inside look at the movie “Step Up 2 The Streets” as written by Daniel Ferro on February 12. Daniel is a professional web designer and b-boy who served as an extra on the set of the movie.

For those that hate to read long reviews, I got to see an early screening of the movie. I’ll summarize it here then elaborate:

1. Good: Surprisingly funny, with good music video-style choreography. Decent acting.

2. Bad: Storyline is as unoriginal as it gets, there is nothing ‘street’ about any of the dancing or clothes or people, there is next to no breakdancing.

3. Ugly: Most of what you see in the trailer that is jaw-dropping good is not in the final movie.

The Dancing
What was immediately obvious to me, and made me so very sad, is they cut out just about all the breakdancing. They went out and hired some of the United State’s best breakdancing talent, K-Mel, Crumbs, Rainen, Shorty, Luigi, Toys, Cricket, and they barely got to breakdance. They were basically reduced to being in an NSYNC video, their individual talents wasted.

In addition, this movie is supposedly about ‘street’ dancing in Baltimore. There is already a street dance native to Baltimore, It’s called Baltimore Club. The closest example I could find is this youtube video, but only the first guy to go out. And there are far better dancers..at least that video will get non-Baltimore people a taste of what its about. THAT is street dancing in Baltimore. And street dancing in general is bboying, no contest. A true Baltimore ‘Street’ competition would feature Bmore club dancing and bboying. Not Christina Aguilera music video dancing.

Why does this happen? Why do all these recent dance movies end up looking like a 2-hour Usher video? Here is a brief history:

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	Herbie Hancock River: Letters To Joni Verve, 2007 Prod: Larry Klein & Herbie Hancock Exec Prod: Dahlia Ambach Caplin Rated 4 out of 5

Listen to River featuring Corrine Bailey Rae

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[Note: I approach this review with less of a sense of context than most others I have written. Granted, I am familiar with Herbie Hancock's extensive catalog, but this album is not the standard jazz album mixture of originals and covers from a variety of sources. Almost all the material on this disc is written by Joni Mitchell, with whom I can't claim to be familiar. Those looking for an accurate comparison with the originals can find many such reviews online or elsewhere (I know...I've looked.), but what follows will be an overview of the album as a stand-alone work.]

This year’s Grammy award winner for best album is a cool, smoky set of ten mid-tempo tracks and ballads that stretches a bit under 70 minutes. It features Hancock on acoustic piano. He works in a quintet setting with saxophone mainstay Wayne Shorter and a very competent rhythm section, made up of Dave Holland on bass, Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, and Lionel Loueke on guitar. Eight of the tunes are Mitchell originals; two others are charts by other composers that may relate to her work indirectly. The album features four guest singers, spoken word from folk legend, Leonard Cohen, as well as an appearance from Joni herself. Hancock keeps a relatively subdued, restrained feeling throughout this album. Despite this, the disc has several commanding performances, both instrumentally and vocally, that allow it to legitimately compete with other “best album” nominees.

The set opens with a wandering, sparse Hancock solo that leads into Norah Jones’ rendition of “Court and Spark.” Jones is predictable in her delivery and doesn’t bring anything too exciting, but fits into the easy groove nicely. Shorter delivers the first of what will be several strong solos from him on the album. The first pleasant surprise on the album is Tina Turner’s feature, “Edith and the Kingpin.” Aside from sounding just fine, pushing 70 years of age, which is remarkable in itself, she definitely pulls back a bit from her usual boisterous delivery. Still, she is instantly recognizable, and takes the song in a great direction with her still-commanding vocal presence.

British neo-elevator-music singer, Corrine Bailey Rae, is greatly helped by a more textured musical backdrop than she normally gets on her solo material. Her title track is a gentle march that floats on the airy interplay of guitar, piano, and soprano sax. Rae’s supple, sweet vocals mesh perfectly, leading one to believe she may be worth a second look. Joni Mitchell shows up to perform “Tea Leaf Prophecy” redux. The effect is haunting, both in the narrative of the lyrics and the unique phrasing of her weathered voice. “Amelia” is performed by Brazilian jazz vocalist. Luciana Souza. The gentle, silky delivery of her slightly flatted vocals slinks in and out of the rhythmically unusual track. Finally, the CD ends with a gravelly spoken word performance by Leonard Cohen, backed only by Hancock’s alternately sweet and ominous modal playing.

Of the album’s four instrumental tracks, two are Mitchell originals, and two pieces by other composers. “Slow Bird” is a definite standout, with Shorter’s breathy tenor tying in perfectly with Hancock’s dynamic comping. The surprise of the set was a refresh of a signature Shorter chart, “Nefertiti.” Originally recorded by both Shorter and Hancock as members of Miles Davis’ quintet in 1967, it goes in a completely different, very exploratory direction in relation to the original. Shorter takes the lead on tenor, and the others fit themselves in around his powerful lines, collectively showing the most fire of anything on the album. It is one of the better recent tracks by either Shorter or Hancock, and the most intriguing piece on an album with no shortage of intrigue.

River is a bit of a return-to-center album for Herbie Hancock, who has experimented more and more in pop and adult contemporary territory in recent years. Certainly it keeps one toe on that ground, with collaborators like Jones and Rae, and most of it would not sound radically out of place at the average outlet mall. This is, however, an unequivocal jazz album, and has many more layers of depth than the average Brooks Brothers musical selection. Adept playing, singing, and arrangements are to thank for much of this, but obviously, Mitchell’s original work provides fertile ground for those seeds, instrumentally and lyrically. This album fully deserved the nomination for best album. Indeed, while an outsider is almost compelled to question the internal politics and ulterior motives of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in making such an unexpected choice, their decision to give it the award is a legitimate one. Maybe next year, Kanye.

Track Listing
1. Court And Spark f. Norah Jones
2. Edith And The Kingpin f. Tina Turner
3. Both Sides Now
4. River f. Corrine Bailey Rae
5. Sweet Bird
6. Tea Leaf Prophecy f. Joni Mitchell
7. Solitude
8. Amelia f. Luciana Souza
9. Nefertiti
10. The Jungle Line f. Leonard Cohen

Purchase
Amazon.com

Links
Herbie Hancock’s Official Website