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| Songs like "Fall Blues" (produced by Vendetta!) and "Over Here" are examples of when Chazz Rokk really gets it right
-the former is possibly the best song on the album and finds Chazz at his most introspective over wistful strings and flutes which successfully convey the melancholy and apprehension the lyrics touch upon. The latter is a good example of when a producer - in this case ILLmind, who deals with the majority
of production on the album - finds a really effective soul hook and crafts a catchy, bumping track around it. |
| "Don't Worry About It", "Keep It Movin'" and "What It's All About" (produced
by Lightheaded's Muneshine) are also driven by similarly soulful-esque production, although on these tracks, Chazz' lyrics and flow don't keep up as well as they do on "Over Here"; and this leads me onto my main criticisms
of the album. Chazz Rokk's lyrics, in keeping with the overall feel of this album, are fairly straightforward, but they frequently drift down to a level when they are a little too simplistic. Also, there are times when Chazz's ability to stay with the rhythm is questionable, and he will hold the pause
at the end of a line for too long, so the next line is then rushed. |
| "Business Is Business" (produced by M Phazes) is the last song that deserves an individual mention because, in my opinion, it contains the most noteworthy lyric on the whole album - "if Puffy came to me with enough dough to change what
I write, I can't front man 'cause I'd most likely contemplate it." On an album that seems defined by its re-treading of old steps, this lyric stands out as a brutally honest expression of the dilemma faced by 'underground' rappers, and there is a certain level of originality in such unashamed honesty. |
| To leave all you cats reconsidering what I've written above and the impression you've developed of this album, I'll finish this review by telling you that Chazz Rokk is half-American, half-Laotian, and is only seventeen years old. It's true he's got a long way to come both lyrically
and rhythmically, but if his first album can be feasibly compared with Little Brother's "The Listening", and can include even one example of provocative honesty, then there's hope for him yet. And at seventeen, he's got time on his side. |
| review: cornerstone |
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12.09.2003
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