by Mos Def
This is one of those strange classic albums, where during the first play or two, it sounds good; after a few more plays, it starts to sound better, but at the same time, a little innocuous; and then, you leave it in your car for a while, forget it exists, re-discover it, and get blown away by how many songs on it are ipod-worthy.
Having just rediscovered The Ecstatic, I can say it's an incredible album. Playing it again tonight after a few months absence, I am totally surprised by how many tracks I greeted by thinking, 'oh yah, I love this song'.
I had just about given up on Mos after True Magic, but with this disk, he displays his supremacy in the world of popular-yet-still-good hip-hop. The album opens with 'Supermagic', over Oh No's 'Heavy' beat, which is an oldie-but-goodie, and then shifts, after a standard Neptunes-y track (by 1/2 of the Neptunes), to 'Auditorium', one of Madlib's better beats off the Beat Konducta in India album. (I remember wondering if maybe Mos went by a yard sale at Stones Throw). This song, featuring Slick Rick, is an interesting item; Mos goes as hard as he ever has, while Rick raps this odd bit about being a soldier in Iraq. It's pretty dissonant, but cool none the less.
It's nice to see Mos return to a more hip-hop oriented album. He's always been an impressive lyricist, and he fills this album with a nice blend of producers, from underground stars like Madlib and Oh No, an up-and-comer like Georgia Anne Muldrow, and his usual collaborator Preservation. There's the requisite J. Dilla track, 'History', featuring Talib Kweli, that makes me wish there could have been a Black Star/Dilla album. It's probably my favourite track on here.
My complaints: there's a lengthy and annoying skit about airplane hijacking that just irritates me, and the album liner notes don't credit the song's producers. It's not all about you Mos...
Having just rediscovered The Ecstatic, I can say it's an incredible album. Playing it again tonight after a few months absence, I am totally surprised by how many tracks I greeted by thinking, 'oh yah, I love this song'.
I had just about given up on Mos after True Magic, but with this disk, he displays his supremacy in the world of popular-yet-still-good hip-hop. The album opens with 'Supermagic', over Oh No's 'Heavy' beat, which is an oldie-but-goodie, and then shifts, after a standard Neptunes-y track (by 1/2 of the Neptunes), to 'Auditorium', one of Madlib's better beats off the Beat Konducta in India album. (I remember wondering if maybe Mos went by a yard sale at Stones Throw). This song, featuring Slick Rick, is an interesting item; Mos goes as hard as he ever has, while Rick raps this odd bit about being a soldier in Iraq. It's pretty dissonant, but cool none the less.
It's nice to see Mos return to a more hip-hop oriented album. He's always been an impressive lyricist, and he fills this album with a nice blend of producers, from underground stars like Madlib and Oh No, an up-and-comer like Georgia Anne Muldrow, and his usual collaborator Preservation. There's the requisite J. Dilla track, 'History', featuring Talib Kweli, that makes me wish there could have been a Black Star/Dilla album. It's probably my favourite track on here.
My complaints: there's a lengthy and annoying skit about airplane hijacking that just irritates me, and the album liner notes don't credit the song's producers. It's not all about you Mos...
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