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Chapter 11 - Live and
Direct (dime city records) (www.chapter11music.com) Live and Direct is the new album by Southern California Reggae/Hip Hop band Chapter 11. The album is a major hybrid of styles, with a 10 person band, which includes 3 vocalists, a DJ, Aaron Owens from Hepcat on guitar and Tim Wu from Long Beach Dub All-stars on Sax and Flute, it is one of the most unique releases I've heard in awhile. Juantro, the intro to the album highlights the turntablism skills of their DJ Jace Juan. It is an introduction to the hybrid sounds, featuring both Hip Hop and Dancehall samples. Live And Direct is a hip hop track, with the dancehall style chorus. It's not really my style, but for a Hip Hop track i enjoy it. What Goes Around is one of the standout tracks on this album. Tim Wu has some excellent sax and flute parts on this track, and the whole song has a feel that mixes blues and reggae. The organ sound on the off beats is also a nice touch. Roots and Culture is a fast paced reggae/hip hop track. It starts off with a sample of Dave Chapelle from Half Baked, and then goes into a hard hitting sax part from Tim Wu. The vocals on this track really standout, with harmony vocals on the chorus and Daddy Scotty and Kep won holding down the verses. Lion starts off with a nice keyboard part and then goes off into Aaron Owens' signature Jazzy guitar sound. It continues the trend of mixing rap styles with the reggae riddim. Latin Joint is a unique track, with the trumpet, Kep Won rapping and a very upbeat Latin feel. This one is hard to put into any genre catagory, but it is a nice track. Rudebwoy is an upbeat track with layered vocals, and an unusual lead keyboard sound. I Don't Care is a hip hop track which highlights Jace Juan's turntablism and Joe Chang's keyboard sound. Long Time is a song with a steady riddim about love lost. The best part of the song is the female backing vocals courtesy of Rae. Soundbwoy is a call to all the weak sound systems "Wipe the tear from your eye, sound boy stop cry, you shoulda never test i'n'i and now you're sound boy die." This song is very much a song that could work in a Dub plate style. Mr. Lonely rides an oldies chorus ("Seems to me no matter who, I pick the wrong girl to deal with") with a style similar to classic Dancehall from the 80's. This is my favorite track on the album, stays with the reggae vibe without diving into the hip hop too much, plus Aaron Owens plays a great lead guitar part, and Tim Wu brings his sax sound which is pure bliss. Styles Like These is kind of the opposite to Mr. Lonely, where instead of being a pure reggae track, it is the only song on the album that is strait hip hop without the reggae influence. Ease Up is a roots track with a drum machine going throughout the song, and lots of good keyboard sounds, and the bass line is prime throughout the song. Rockin It is a track that's biggest highlight is the piano part, with rapping over a dancehall/hip hop beat. Empty Wallets is a great closing song for the album. It talks about the struggle of underground musicians relating to money. "Empty Wallet no pocket money, but it feels like Zion to me" Overall, Chapter 11 can really keep a reggae riddim steady. Although I am not typically a hip hop fan, I found myself enjoying the tracks. The best tracks are the ones where they lean more towards the reggae sounds, but it is still a nice album. They get an 8 out of 10 on this review, and be sure to look out for these guys soon, cause if this album is a taste of anything this band is Crucial. track list:
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