Gutter Rainbows

by Talib Kweli

Kweli gets the credit for bringing me back into hiphop at the start of the '00s with his classic Train of Thought album, although I've often been ambivalent about his output ever since.

Gutter Rainbows was a nice surprise after the inconsistency of the Reflection Eternal reunion album last year.  It is a more minimalist album, as the focus seems to be much more on Kweli and his lyrics than anything else.  He still has some guests - notably Jean Grae (nice to hear her back on the mic) and Sean Price, but there isn't the endless line-up of celebrity features we're used to seeing.

Production-wise, we are again lacking in superstars, which creates a much more curated album.  There are a lot of up-and-comers represented here, like Marco Polo, Shuko, Khrysis, and some people I've never heard of.  These are all decent producers, and the fact that they are lacking in a signature sound helps keep the focus on Kwe.  The exception here is Oh No, who shakes the album up quite nicely with the penultimate track 'Uh Oh'.

Lyrically, Kweli is as good as he ever is.  Some of the songs are pretty basic and radio friendly, but he manages to deliver some perceptive tracks.  If I have any complaint, it has to do with the opening track, and one annoying interlude which has some guy babbling away.  It's the 10's now - the interlude is deader than hiphop people...