Posted on 02/20/2009
Transmittin Live! is the latest release from the Lyricists, a two MC-one DJ crew based in Port Huron, Michigan. Produced entirely by Baltimore’s DJ Excel, the album features guest spots from underground contemporaries such as Ilyas of Tanya Morgan and Braille and boasts a strong, if somewhat typical, sample-based sound that will be familiar and pleasing for fans of that ilk. Nothing about the release is particularly weak; songs like the energetic title track definitely move and show that this is a solid hip-hop group at its core. The main criticism might be that it isn’t always individualistic or distinct enough, sounding essentially like what you’d expect an underground hip-hop group with a guest spot from Braille to sound like. To be clear, that’s not really such a bad thing, only meaning that it’s not game-changing.

Jazz and soul records are at the heart of most of the tracks, with occasional turntable work and the very competent flows from Illtone and Rym-Benda providing the real point of focus. Surprisingly, between the jazzy vibes of excellent songs like “The Juggle” (featuring Canadian vocalist Khalel on the hook) and the interplay between MCs on “Transmittin Live!,” something in the formula seems more fitted for the West Coast underground. It is possible that this impression stems from Michigan’s sound usually being defined by the wintry atmospheres of Detroit, to the extent that anything with brighter tones can seem surprising.

Aside from tracks already mentioned, highlights include “Rules of Attraction,” a song about approaching women that is pretty much on point with its content, and “P.H., MI,” which is, of course, about the hometown and background. There are a couple of tracks that almost seem like novelties, except that they are compelling enough in their own right to warrant serious attention: “Bubbleguts,” while not for everyone, is one of the more thoughtful musical discussions on gastrointestinal function ever recorded, down to the “loose balloon sounds” and toilet flushes being scratched. Another track seems like it was intended to parody certain signatures of crunk, except that it’s done well enough to not wear thin as a mere parody.

The only track that seems padded out is the outro, “Big Ups!,” a nearly five-minute shout-out over a very skeletal beat that will only be of continuing interest if you know the people involved. It’s easy to understand why it’s there, it just goes on far longer than will be tolerable to the casual listener. Aside from that, Transmittin Live! is a solid listen - maybe a little average-sounding on the surface - but has got enough depth to satisfy and to suggest that interesting things will come from The Lyricists in the future.

- Justin Deremo