Pick a Dream

by Tumi and the Volume

This was not an easy cd to get a hold of (I had to order it from Amazon UK), but it was well worth any struggle.  Tumi is a South African rapper, and this is his second album.

The first, self-titled debut that came out back in 2006 was an impressive combination of music and poetry, but with this album, it seems that Tumi and his band have really pushed themselves to be more song-oriented.  Always lyrically conscious, there is now also a push towards a more expansive understanding of poetry and it's place in hip-hop (how else do you explain a song whose hook is "A butterfly flew through my sunroof"?).

I see this as a bit of a cross-over album, and it reminds me more than a little of K'Naan's last disc, in that it strives for wide appeal without sacrificing quality.  Tumi and K'Naan have similar voices and styles of delivery, and as much as I loved Troubadour, I think this may be the album that holds up better in ten years.

My favourite tracks include 'La Tete Savante', 'Moving Picture Frame', and 'Light in Your Head', but really, the entire album is great.