LUPE FIASCO - Food & Liquor [Atlantic Records - 2006]

So, another Hip-Hop review right after the other one?

Yes. And I don’t know where to start with this one. Lupe Fiasco’s “Food & Liquor” is my favorite album right now. I bought it about 5 days ago, and I can’t stop listening to it.
I think it’s a really good record, it’s Lupe’s first and I’ll make sure to keep an eye on him in the future as well.

“Food & Liquor” reminds me a little bit of Kanye West, and the first time I heard Lupe was on the track “Touch The Sky” from Kanye’s latest record “Late Registration” (Roc-A-Fella 2005). This is the same kind of Hip-Hop, and it makes me feel good. And like The Roots this has none of your usual gangsta-rap lyrics.

Here’s the 2nd verse from “Kick, Push II”:

“You see his mom was a crackhead and his father couldn't be contacted / He lived with being different, was combated / Amongst the other things on his young, black head / And see, his girl was a white girl / But, just cause she was white, see her life wasn't light-world / She, too had the drama thick / Had a daddy and a momma, but her daddy used to momma hit / Daddy caught something, chasing fatties made her momma sick / Couldn't afford the medicine, pimped it to the pharmacist / As suicidal feelings would rise, switch over to transitions, helped her conquer it / Pays for her momma's pills with a sponsorship / A cell phone bill and a Honda kit / And that's why she skates with him / Someone to feel her pain and her place to be”

It’s hard to pick some favorites on this album, but if I had to pick 5 I think I’d go with: “Real”, “Just Might Be OK”, “Kick, Push”, “Sunshine” and “The Cool”.

Anyway, like I wrote at the top of this, this is a really good record, but I think I’ll probably be calling it a great album in a couple of days. One of the best of 2006, be sure to check it out.

For further info & listening: www.myspace.com/lupefiasco or http://www.lupefiasco.com/

THE ROOTS - Game Theory [Def Jam - 2006]

I haven’t been listening to The Roots very much in the past, and if I remember correctly the first time I heard them was back in 1999 when they released “Things Fall Apart”. I thought they were pretty good. I also remember them having a hit with the Cody Chesnutt song called “The Seed” in 2002, but I never really paid any attention.

Anyway, when I heard that there was a new album coming I listened to some of the new songs on myspace. It sounded really good and I went down to a recordstore downtown and bought a copy of “Game Theory”.

One thing that I like about The Roots is that they’re a band (a guitar-player, a drummer, a bass-player and so on), and I think that’s really cool. And there’s some really good music on here as well, it’s kind of funky stuff and it makes me feel good. My favorite songs on this CD are these: “Game Theory”, “In The Music”, “Take It There”, “Here I Come”, “Long Time”, “Clock With No Hands”, but it’s an overall good album.

The lyrics are good as well, here’s the last verse from “Clock With No Hands” for example:

Yo livin’ in turbulent times, the blind leadin’ the blind / Some call it evolution, some say intelligent design / You say you want a revolution, you out of your mizind / You son destitute and they pop all in the prison / My man’s back in the jam, he like the back of my hand / He just attracted to scam, he right back in the can / I never sleep walk when you dead you get your shut eye / I’m on the first thing in, I’m leavin’ on the red eye / My brother back in rehab, just had another relapse / Within himself it’s like he’s been fightin’ the inner jihad / Tellin’ me ain’t nobody true when they pretend to be that / So closer than friends that’s where I keep my enemies at / To any parties concerned, it’s time to live and learn / Until we’re able to grow, forever bridges will burn / My thoughts free as a bird that’s just about to emerge / And every action that’s heard, it speaks louder than words…

So this isn’t your usual gangsta-rap lyrics with bitches, cool cars, violent behavior, drugs and money (don’t get me wrong I can enjoy that as well. “The Chronic” by Dr. Dre is one of my favorite rap-albums), but from what I understand The Roots was never about that kind of stuff to begin with.

Like I wrote in the beginning I haven’t heard so much of the earlier releases from The Roots, so I can’t really compare this to the older stuff, but this is a good record, and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed if you’ve enjoyed The Roots before.

For listening, go to: www.myspace.com/theroots or http://www.theroots.com/

Lisa Miskovsky - Changes [Stockholm Records - 2006]

Lisa Miskovsky has once again chosen to work with Jocke Berg, and when they do so everyone knows that it simply can’t fail. The first single “Mary” sure proved that. I don't know if it’s going to be as huge as the mega hit “Lady stardust” from 2001s album “Falling Water” (where Jocke Berg also was the producer and co-songwriter) but its a great song.

The cooperation Miskovsky / Berg sure is a winning concept. The songs are now dressed up in full stage costume and feel very big and solid. Where “Falling water” came off as a narrow little country road with a more naked sound, this 12 song album called “Changes” runs you over like a ten lane motor highway.

Lisa sings awfully well as always. There is really not anything to complain about except that after listening to the 12 songs a couple of times I feel that because of its massive production the over all feeling is that “Changes” tend to get a bit too similar and thick.

But I like this record, I like it very much.

Listen to the first single “Mary” here:

http://www.myspace.com/lisamiskovsky