Kool Keith - Project Polaroid
Kool Keith and respected beat maker TOM C3 get together here for a lavish set. Some thick, gorgeous beat making and well constructed songs? We are in for a treat.
"Talk To The Romans" has a gorgeous funk. Keith's raps are smooth and easy over the beat. A really enjoyable sound here.
"Mechanical Mechanix" has some gorgeous crashing drums, and a genuine stand out verse from Prince Po. The mournful violin sample on the hook is also beautiful. The production on this project is prominent, front and centre. It's classy and well tailored for Keith.
"Diamond District" is a heavy hitting track with big deep drums that are a joy to listen to through your speakers. Keith's rhymes are sliced and intersected here and take a little deciphering. He's more close to his abstract side on this entire album, than his Sex Style or Dr Dooom persona.
"Rhyme That Quit" is absolute excellence. The chilling female vocals blend with some of Keiths best verses in years. The warm guitar and zingy scratching just round the song out to perfection.
Real clever world play and metaphor placement. Definitely a stand out track on the album. "They howl on that Burberry, surroundin that turkey / Too cold to go slow down the street eatin coleslaw / In a Barney suit, I see him gettin harassed and stopped by the po-po / That's the guy... ask him but he don't know / His lyrics can't get up to a certain height / They come back down the hill, I tell him, I won't go"
Love to hear motion man appear on "Clubber Lang" and when listening to the awesome beat on "Uphill.Strange" and absorbing all the gorgeous buttery production on this project so far. I realise, this is the first project for years up to this point, that has actually managed to fully "keep up" with Keith's rhyming. A selection of music he really deserves.
"Midwestern Shoe Calhoun" yet another serving of truly "A class" beat making. Chilling, rich, just delicious. There's mournful pianos and an almost distant drum and snare to match. Keith painting with words beautifully on this one.
Keith's rhyming through out this album is his most understated in a while. Contorting his psyche into yet another alias of some kind probably.
He adopts a low tone to his rhyming. It's a different Keith here. He's really crafting himself to mould around these beats. The less excitable delivery may not be for all Keith fans, but I love seeing Keith explore these many deliveries and characters he has.
The overall project stands alone within Keith's catalogue. It's a different sound, and made even more enjoyable for Keith's rigidly sticking to the feel and theme of the album from start to finish.
Another great album from Kool Keith with quality assistance from the excellent TOM C3.
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