Jeff Lorber
He Had a Hat
Blue Note/Narada Jazz
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Jeff Lorber is a forefather of R&B jazz fusion, but He Had a Hat is a wide-ranging effort. Lorber adds bebop and hard-bop versatility to his standard funk grooves and ballads. The musicianship is good, but the album falls into spates of contrivance, especially in the vocal songs. Sound is well-differentiated and features good dynamics. Midrange volume is inconsistent, with horns often getting the short shrift. He had a Hat is easy to listen to, but not quite enough to make up for the fact that Lorber fronted the band that introduced the world to Kenny G.
The Alchemist
Rapper's Best Friend - An Instrumental Series
Alc Records
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Warning: You can't rap. It's okay. A lot of professional rappers can't rap, either. If you still want to test the waters, The Alchemist brings you Rapper's Best Friend, a collection of 14 instrumental tracks. You'll recognize cuts done for Mobb Deep and Dilated Peoples. Some of the songs, however, are unreleased. They all feature slick beats, catchy, pitch-adjusted samples and lots of repetition. Highs and bass are prominent and detailed. Soundstage and dynamics are almost non-existent, and the album's almost mono mix is unusual for hip-hop. You won't notice any of that when you're realizing what a crappy rapper you are, anyway.
Rope, Inc.
Songs of Love and War
Second-Shimmy Records
Rating: 2.5
Sound: 3.5
Rope, Inc.'s Matt Menovcik and Kramer have created a lush, complex album that's replete with synth strings and interesting musical flourishes. In Songs of Love and War, you'll love the instrumentation and arrangement. Then, you'll declare war on Menovcik's singing, because it's hard to have a deep, raspy voice and also sound like a needy pansy. Menovcik does this while crooning nearly non-existent melodies. The sonics have good impact and the midrange is rich, but bass can be muddy. The soundstage could be better and the vocals should be gone.
Ral Partha Vogelbacher
Shrill Falcons
Monotreme Records
Rating: 3
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If you've heard the enticing rumors about music that's full of dissonant, shrieking noises and wondered if it's for you, try Ral Partha Vogelbacher. It's a band, by the way, not a multi-ethnic dude. Shrill Falcons, their third release, combines fuzzy guitar and talky vocals with the aforementioned screeches. Much of it works, creating a gloomy tableau of noise punctuated by sweetly melodic moments. All of it sounds nice, with even the grating feedback having a decent tone. The soundstage is excellent and the frequency range is all there.