11. Smiley

Welcome. And "Welcome" is also the name of the first track on this album. That's almost a coincidence. However, The Unspoken Heard are opening the door, and the pleasure to see us seems genuine. And taking off our shoes, we enter their world of 14 tasty treats, that are in the tradition of their early releases, as in-depth and interesting as the interview we did with Asheru (read it here), as well as even better. So as said, "Welcome" is a greeting track, that is featuring a whole lot of scratching, while we are reminded of some past achievements, as the name dropping is taking us through "Cosmology" (the first EP), as well as "Smiley", combined with a couple of posted rules and friendly embraces. We are then asked to sit down, and the vibe is already pleasant, as shown on "Meals To Dinner Time Prelude", where we ear drop in on some halfway serious discussions.

The next cut is called "Truly Unique" (produced by Yusef Dinero), and there should be a video of this at their label's website (check sevenheads.com). This takes us from the lounging chairs right to the dance floor, as the pace is stepped up, with this featuring a lot of jazzy elements, and you can picture this being played at Coolie High. Lyrically this states, that "we are creating a space where anything is possible", meaning that the topic is not just staying in one narrow place, but moves around, making the track something where everything is being said that comes to mind and fits. The jazz elements are still present on "Live At Home", that features an incredible drum sample, or to quote one of the lines: "shit is hot like 'outch'". Lyrically we are chilling again and next progress to "B-Boy (We Get Shit)". And a guitar is again pushing this forward, making it funky in a Dixie kind of way. Blue Black and Asheru are using this to flow with lines like: "cause I'm a b-boy, trendsetter / one hell of a vendetta / why? because I know the state of hip hop has been better", using the term b-boy for everyone that is often referred to as 'head'.

Next up is "Theme Music", it telling us that the good beats are lining up in an unbroken row. At one little moment this goes for the old verses quoting, while for the rest of the record, the two cats are doing some back and forth rhyming. They are also backing up each other's more conscious rhymes, as there are messages in this story. Further, there's one of the best tracks on here: "Soul". The piano of this production and the chanting is taking us a few years back to the golden ages. This is getting even more meaningful, as it progresses like a testimony, with the thoughts flowing on spectral waves, resulting in the statement "fuck keep it real, we keep it conscious". A guitar returns on "This Is Me", it plucking along like a stroll along the pier, and the good vibes are fitting the beat perfectly. As so often on this album, there's a whole crowd of voices, adding their five cents in the background during the track. At the end of we get some almost accappella verses, as one cat is going for the punchlines, with the crowd at attendance going ape wild about the rhymes he kicks. The discussion is continued at the beginning of "Jamboree", a track that has been previously released on the EP of the same name. And the crowd that was chanting in the back finally steps to the front, as the attendees are kicking four liners at the end of this easy to bob along track.

We are now checking out "Dear You", that is telling a lady that had the artists chose between hip hop and her, that she loses. This is done too well to not be based on real live experiences. Another track previously heard is coming on next with "Smiley", and if you compare this to some loved movement, that came out at about the same time, it shall make you go 'hmmmm'. The title track "Soon Come" is getting a little darker, but maybe just more serious, and this gives rhymes like "you put this in a capsule for years, because it's timeless / these rhymes ain't only nice / sun, I'm killing them with kindness / and you won't find this / side by side with the spineless / watered down pop shit, bleached out and rhymeless" a different depth. The Lone Catalysts show up on "Think About", before "Elevator Music" produced by Ge-ology closes the album. And this is the other best track on the album, it being complete with some angelic singing, giving the track one heavenly vibe, telling us to not 'get numb to dumb shit'.

"Soon Come" is good. But the word is not able to express the true artistic value of something truly artistic. That's more than just 'good', as the word is lacking the deepness of the value, the multidimensionality of its approach, the beauty of its soul. The word doesn't demand to celebrate whatever was named 'good'. And this album should be celebrated.