Posted on 08/05/2008
Just when it seems like every popular rap album these days is full of simplistic synths and huge, dance-driven hooks, the underground seems just as guilty, flooding their records with the Golden Age-revivalist attitude. And since both ends of the spectrum are equally inundated with phonies and copy-cats, it becomes tiresome to wade through disc after disc to find the next big thing. Although I wouldn't go as far as saying Saint is exactly what underground hip-hop heads have been jonesing for, his album, …About Time, is fully capable of tiding you over until that next big thing rears its head.

After learning the ropes at Brooklyn's Seven Heads record label, this rapper-producer began working with J-Live, Wordsworth and other in-house artists. Saint was then promoted to studio manager and given the chance to record his own album, Grown Folk Music, which he released in 2004. After Seven Heads switched gears to promotion and marketing, Saint put out a mix CD, Variety Hour, a year later. Then in 2006, he dropped the EP The Good People with partner Emskee and guests including Cadence, El Da Sensei, and Prince Po.

So it would only make sense that …About Time would feature several of those past collaborators while ushering in a slew of others. And because Saint doesn't just spend his time behind the boards, this isn't your typical guest-laden producer album. His mic skills aren't exactly at the level of some of his cohorts, but he still holds his own in the booth. The perfect example of this is the album's best track, "Do You Remember?" Oozing with samples from the likes of Rakim and A Tribe Called Quest, this track is a bonafide banger that tips it’s hat to past hip-hop greats while establishing Saint as a truly talented producer. And it doesn't hurt that he and Verses spit some solid bars. Although the message is clearly different in "Wisdom Over Weapons," Saint again kills it with an absolutely perfect vibes loop.

As the album goes on, Saint hardly misses a beat – no cheesy pun intended. Whatever the mood, he captures the feel of each track. "About Time" is a mellow, sunny-day anthem while "Thought You Should Know" and "If You Would Just…" evoke the prog-hop stylings of Panacea. Also, "Respect and Honor" is another "bump-this-in-your-car" track that begs for repeated listens. And Saint's emcee guests are just as competent. NYOIL sounds great on "All Love" and the arguing couple, Eternia and Anti-, on "The Session, Part 1" is a refreshing change-of-pace.

If Saint is guilty of anything, it's that he tends to sound too much like his influences. It's never obnoxious or forced, but it's definitely there. And, to be fair, it's not that much of a knock considering how many producers reach for this style and come up short. That small problem aside, this album's rating speaks for itself in telling you to check out Saint's MySpace. And even though …About Time will fly under the radar, it wouldn't hurt if we all tried to change that.

- Andrew Martin