Hmmmmmmm. Sometimes we struggle to find a place for things. By that I mean we struggle to put things into a type, We'll think on it for quite a while. Weighing up all of the pros & cons of labelling something in a certain way. Trying to recognise the consequences, no matter how trivial, of the decision we are about to make. Yet we seldom stop to consider another possibility. Why should we be trying to put something into that metaphorical 'box' in the 1st place? I tend to title my ipod playlists according to the type of music it contains. Hip Hop or Nu Jazz or RnB etc. While listening to Replife's The Unclosed Mind (perfect title) via iTunes, I found myself trying to group different tracks on the album under different playlists. Until finally I came to the same conclusion I refer to above. The 1st & 2nd tracks on the album, Spirit & Change 4 A Dolla, are a perfect draw for the listener as they have enough of a Hip Hop element to keep the heads nodding while adding a Nu-Jazz-esq b lines & synths to proceedings. Then the uptempo Emerald City, uses its 'sharp' bass tones to great effect. From that to the heavy latin influence shown on Pangea with its nice bounce. Then tracks like Away, Elevation & Heavy Jazz/Trip Hop of Out of Soul (complete with spoken wordisms)only add to an already intriguing track list. As for my stand out on this one. The last track on the album, R U Ready, with it's smooth, almost Tony Dofatish (you must remember some of his beats for Heavy D)appeal is an unexpected end to an unexpected longplayer. This is definately my vote for most interesting Hip Hop album of the year so far. Now that may sound like i'm trying to find a nice way of saying it's rubbish. Well i'm not, it is a very refreshing album, which is sometimes needed even in Hip Hop. Rep is a talented MC, poet & muse & utilises his repertoire to great effect. So while i'm listening to my 2nd fav track on the album -The Left Side Of Things, which even if it's the most conventional track on the album still manages to flip an oft used sample- imma leave the good people a taster & say... p e a c e
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