Bulletin Board Archive

Topic: KC Star Reviews HipHop

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   http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/entertainment/15234895.htm LOCAL MUSIC | Kansas City roundup Lassoing cowtown sounds Kansas City musicians make their styles pop, rap and rock ’n’ roll. From The Star’s staff No matter what your palate prefers — country, hip-hop, hard rock, post-punk, singer/songwriter folk or experimental rock — there’s a band from Kansas City or Lawrence or Warrensburg (or elsewhere) making music that stands up to what is being produced on labels big and small in cities larger than ours. The CDs reviewed here are all recommended listening. If you want samples, go to KansasCity .com, where we’ll post a batch, or try the other routine: Yahoo! or Google your selection or just head to MySpace.com. If you like what you hear, do everyone a favor: Buy the music and go see the live shows. These days, music is as local as politics, and there’s only one way to vote: financial support. [b:5ca2cf6e37]APPROACH[/b:5ca2cf6e37] http://www.myspace.com/approach ‘Approach Presents the Nu’ (Datura) | Approach has long been a Kansas City favorite among party heads, and his funky fun stamp is all over “The Nu,” with infectious cuts such as “Show Love” and “Ad’s.” In traditional mixtape form, the album is laced with shout-outs from local and national emcees like Joe Good, Butterfly, Reach and more, showing that he’s not only a favorite among hip-hop fans, but he’s also respected among his peers. But there is something different about “The Nu.” Even with the successful album “Ultra-Proteus” under his belt, there’s a certain hunger in his voice on this mixtape, the kind that usually marks a newcomer in the game. Approach rhymes with fervor this time around, particularly on rock-solid tracks such as “Baptism” and “The Interpreter.” He leaves you with the feeling that this is only the beginning, and, for him, it probably is. [b:5ca2cf6e37]GUNN JAKC[/b:5ca2cf6e37] http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=7727000 ‘144 Killahurtz’ (Innate Sounds) | It might be his first album, but Gunn Jakc has been eating mics for years. He’s long been a part of the supporting cast at Joe Good and SoundsGood shows, with his charming stage presence and fluent rhyme style. And on “144 Killahurtz,” Gunn Jakc proves he can hold down the starring role by himself like Don Cheadle. Commercial and radio-friendly aren’t a concern; instead he just keeps it real and flows from his everyday life in Kansas City with tracks such as “816,” “So High” and “Nature.” He holds down a track well on his own, but he fits in well with C.E.S. Cru on the “You Know” remix, and his chemistry with Joe Good is undeniable. They could easily be KC’s own versions of Redman and Method Man, and “Doin Nothin” and “Calvary Post” are sure to make for good live performances. Prime cuts: “Nature,” “Walk in these Shoes” and “Do Nothin.” [b:5ca2cf6e37]HUMAN CROPCIRCLES[/b:5ca2cf6e37] ‘Dreamtime’ | “Dreamtime” is really the solo work of JKR70, the Cropcircles’ producer. In his liner notes, he explains the inspiration for these compositions: His life was closing in on him, and he needed a way to express and understand the distress and confusion that was stifling his art. So he composed these 14 tracks, in the tradition of DJ Shadow or Cut Chemist: using loops and snippets of music and beats, scraps and shards of spoken word and dialogues and samples of song vocals. Some of those samples overtly support the titular theme: Tim Hardin’s “Hang Onto a Dream,” Yes’ “Dreamtime” and Sinatra singing “The Impossible Dream”; others are more subtle, such as Bread’s “I Wanna Make It With You” (“Dreams, they’re for those who sleep …”) and Triumph’s “A World of Fantasy.” The artist said making this record helped him heal emotionally. If the remedial power of his work escapes you, indulge instead in the trippy, ambient grooves and the hypnotic music that emerges from this work.