CD REVIEWS
Yung Joc has the hustle, not the flow
Sunday, September 02, 2007Yung Joc
'Hustlenomics'(Atlantic)
In a strange bit of irony, Yung Joc's new album, "Hustlenomics," is an almost textbook example of a hustle:
1. Capitalize on a brand name while consumers still have a positive association with it. "Hustlenomics" was rushed to the market a little more than a year after Joc's breakthrough "New Joc City." The lead-off single, "Coffee Shop," was released just two months after the last single from "New Joc City" peaked on the Billboard charts.
2. Associate the product with as many big names as possible. Though "New Joc City" became a surprise hit thanks in large part to the synthesizer-heavy chemistry between Joc and producer-mentor Nitti, "Hustlenomics" has a long list of A-listers thrown haphazardly together: Diddy, Game, the Neptunes, Snoop Dogg and Jazze Pha.
3. Make an appeal to every demographic, regardless of the product's strengths. Joc's fan base is primarily teenagers and party-goers (he has toured with Omarion, Ne-Yo, Ciara and T-Pain). And after an album of clubbing and bottle-popping, his gangsta raps on "Cutthroat" feel forced: "You don't want no static / holes through your chest hard to breathe like asthmatics."
It's unfortunate, for he is not an artist without charms. When paired with up-tempo, synth beats like his breakthrough hit "It's Goin Down" or the Cool & Dre produced "Play Your Cards," Joc's laid-back drawl and raspy voice work within the beat, accompanying without overshadowing. His likeable charms allow him to deliver drug-dealing rhymes ("First I take they order like a coffee shop / Then I steam it up and cook it like the coffee shop") alongside a children's chorus without seeming out of place.
Instead of letting Joc build on his promising debut, Bad Boy decided to make a quick buck. For all his talk of "teaching you how to hustle," he hasn't figured out who the real hustlers in the rap game are.
Recommended:"Play Your Cards" and "Coffee Shop"
— Jonathan Tjarks
Mike Rosenthal
'Home'(Freedom)
When former newspaper reporter Mike Rosenthal moved to Austin from Maine 10 years ago, he came off as a promising alt-country singer-songwriter too impatient and too adrenalized by place and possibilities to give himself the time to develop organically. His self-titled 2000 debut turned heads, but you got the feeling Rosenthal also expected it to kick down doors. The 2002 follow-up, "Movin' In," was a pretty good power pop record, but the hooks rang a tad hollow. How can you go from Uncle Tupelo comparisons on one record to Elvis Costello the next — and not be Old 97's?
On the simply stunning new record "Home," Rosenthal finds the magic just by being himself. His sweetly sung music is dated, yet timeless in a James Taylor vinyl kind of way. It's refreshing to hear a songwriter play, with such craft and focus, music oblivious to the trends. This is about as far as an often-comical, mop-topped kid with an acoustic guitar can get from whatever they're calling "anti-folk" this year. Rosenthal is not trying too hard, at last, and what's coming out resonates like his music never has before.
Standout track "Go Home," is a song about spurning what could be out there, when you've found all you really need. The flip side of "I Got What I Wanted (But I Lost Everything I Had)," "Go Home" is a song that says when you settle, you don't always settle for less. As evidenced by all the one-word titles (including "Rain," "Funny," "Tomorrow," "You,"), Rosenthal has found that the gift of economy comes with maturity. Feelings are concise, throwaway laugh lines are thrown away. And Rosenthal wisely keeps the record to 10 tracks, when in earlier years he might have tacked on whatever would fit and blown the mood.
The marathon runner (no, really) has found his pace, his zone on a record that won't blow you out of the water, but will sound better every time you listen to it. The tortoise trounces the hare again.
On a rare foray out into the world of live entertainment, Rosenthal and his combo celebrate the release of "Home" with a 9 p.m. set Saturday at the Continental Club.
Recommended: "Go Home," "Cry"
— Michael Corcoran
Brownout
'Homenaje' (Freestyle)
"Homenaje," Spanish for homage, is the latest release from Austin Latin-funk outfit Brownout. The instrumental Grupo Fantasma side-project is more than a mere nod to late '70s Latin-funk acts like Joe Bataan and Santana, though. "Homenaje" is an amalgam of funky sounds ranging from the Fela Kuti style Afro-beat evident on "Con El Brownout" and "Chema's Contraband," to the smoldering neo-soul of "You Already Are," a track that would be at home on D'Angelo's "Voodoo."
Brownout draws inspiration from a deep well and gives the Afro-Cuban sound of the '70s a face-lift by mixing in hints of hip-hop and soul.
The nearly all-instrumental album avoids stagnation by switching gears rapidly between tracks. "Homenaje" vacillates between the languid groove of songs such as "They Should Know," which sounds like a forgotten track from the Beastie Boys' "Check Your Head," and powerful crowd-movers like the CD's title track. Built upon a familiar piano montuno and the deft percussion of drummer Johnny Lopez and conga player Sweet Lou, "Homenaje" is a funky cumbia laced with powerful horns tailor-made to pack the dance floor.
Recorded between Grupo Fantasma's tours, "Homenaje" channels the spirit of '70s funk giants like Earth Wind and Fire and Curtis Mayfield without cloning their sounds. Brownout returns to the group's funk-inspired genesis and in doing so has found its own voice in the cacophony of the Latin music explosion.
Recommended: "Homenaje," "Chema's Contraband"
— Brandon Cobb
