Neglected Perfection
DukeOfEarl | Phoenix, AZ United States | 02/23/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The main complaint that you will hear over this album is that it's not as strong as his first two (classics). Even without a specific focal point(like "A Book of Human Language"), Aceyalone still bangs out an exceptional album. I listen to underground Hiphop day-in and day-out, and when I finally got this, it was actually a breath of fresh air. If you are new to Aceyalone and start with this album(even though it's out-of-print), it will probably knock your socks off! If you're already familiar with Acey, this album may dissappoint, but that doesn't mean it's a bad album at all.
The album really heats up at the insightful, uplifting track called "Hardships." Tracks # 4-7 are the bread and butter of this album: all of them that need to be listened to again and again. Track #7, the title track, is a really cool and twisted cut. Acey creatively lightens the mood and goes off-topic on tracks like "Five Feet" and "Bounce" with effectiveness. Ace and good friend Abstract Rude rock the old-school throwback "B-Boy Real McCoy." He displays his ability to spit rapid-fire rhymes on "Golden Mic," a decent song, but not a standout. He takes a Slick Rick quote and turns it into a comical yet serious message to partygoers on "Master Your High." Acey and Freestyle Fellowship member P.E.A.C.E. rip it on "Microphones," where Aceyalone describes his profession as only Rakim could. "Serve and Protect" is one of my favorites, and "I Can't Complain" is one of the most inspirational songs of his career. He tops it off with the solid track "Project Blowed," and shouts out to the real West Coast hiphoppas and then East Coast legends like De La Soul and KRS-One.
To the Liquid Insanity guy who commented on Acey compared to Common, Kweli, and Mos Def: I wholeheartedly disagree. Those three actually got me into underground Hiphop and helped lead me to the giant that is Aceyalone. I think Common, Kweli, and Mos Def are great, but more like the surface of the underground to where you begin to dig deeper and you discover a buried treasure like Aceyalone. This album is not as extraordinary as his first two, but it still packs countless memorable moments. Where some artists will have fans who accept and buy anything thrown at them, such as awful albums, Aceyalone's long-time loyals seem to never let him hear the end of it if he drops an album like this that does not meet their lofty expectations.
I didn't like the production too much, it was pretty minimal and overall lacklustre. However, there were some gems like the warped title track, "Serve and Protect," and "Bounce" that I can recall offhand. You still gotta believe that Aceyalone can always make up for a bad beat! Aceyalone isn't rhyming as abstract as before, and he's not overloading on the wordplay as he's capable of, but he excites throughout. I've never heard a BAD Aceyalone solo track, and that still applies after hearing this album. This album, to put it generally, is simply a testament to the legend of master MC Aceyalone. It may not be the revelation that was "All Balls Don't Bounce," nor the landmark that was "A Book of Human Language," but it is still an excellent piece of work from the man who will be crowned the greatist overall MC/artist that Hiphop has ever offered (once everybody stops sleeping and hears the words). You heard it here first!"