Search - Midnite, Ras L :: Thru & True

SUPERCRYPTICOLOGY

Locks Lion | Blue Mountain Peak | 05/19/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"THRU & TRUE: This is a second collaborative outing for Midnite's charismatic frontman, Vaughn Benjamin, and producer Ras L, and if you weren't so keen on their first get-together, FULL CUP, then THRU & TRUE won't have you running out to the record store. It's basically the same formula: semi-reggae, semi-electronica backing tracks produced by Ras L, paired with Vaughn's supercryptic and utterly unique lyrical technique. The main problem here, as with FULL CUP, is that the sound quality is very murky and very flat, and Vaughn's voice sounds like it's been funneled through an old cardboard tube. Sure, some of the very best reggae music over the years has resulted from do-it-yourself productions with second hand studio equipment, but THRU & TRUE just ends up sounding fuzzy and indistinct, and because of this, it's not always an enjoyable experience. On the whole though, this is actually an improvement over FULL CUP, I think. The Midnite man is in a somewhat more melodic mood - though still nowhere close to the incredible flow he often finds with the Midnite band or the I Grade Records people - and Ras L shifts the gears occasionally, even including a nice organ backing for INITY, which is one of the better efforts collected here. This is actually Vaughn Benjamin's third collaborative release of the new year (fourth if you count his contribution to the Lustre Kings' excellent NEW DAY project - rumoured to be followed up by a full length outing this summer!) and it's easily the least accessible and least essential of the three. Before you try THRU & TRUE, I'd definitely recommend CURRENT, a really effective team-up with New Mexico's Mystic Vision band that was released back in January, as well as the latest Midnite I Grade installment, JAH GRID. Meanwhile, the agonisingly long wait for a new, true Midnite release continues."