Posted on 07/14/2009
Albums by producer-rappers always come with a slight air of caution. Sure, the likes of Large Professor and Kanye West have proven you can be equally talented both in the booth and behind the boards. But, particularly in the case of Mr. West, you can tell when one takes a backseat for the other – see Graduation's sometimes recycled rhymes, though that was technically more of a pop album anyway. Then you have cats like Madlib, who is obviously a superbly talented producer. When he decides to spit over a track, though, well, we all know what happened to "The Red" on Champion Sound.

Thankfully, that is not the case for Philadelphia-based Lushlife, who has definitely delivered with his sophomore effort Cassette City. And although there are some glaring problems that negate the overall effort, the album is solid enough to make it a worthwhile listen, especially through the first eight of the overall 13 tracks.

In particular, the way "Innocence,” which kicks off Cassette City with what sounds like a funeral dirge, bursts into "Daylight Into Me" is, without question, a work of genius. And it displays some of Lushlife's finest sample-chopping, a skill akin to Dilla. Lush's flipping, and dare I say mangling, of the horns sample on "Daylight Into Me" blends perfectly with the vibrant drums. But, more importantly, the track showcases his more fiery and updated flow, which has been refined since his topnotch debut Order of Operations. While it's a stretch to say you'll be reaching for the rewind button, it's a testament to his skills the way his flow complements his beats.

And the intensity felt across the first two tracks continues through the following highlights like "The Kindness," which shows Lush's versatility on what plays like a dedication to Houston's chopping and screwing, and "Another Word for Paradise," a certified banger featuring more horn stabs and verses from Camp Lo. The only downside to "Another Word for Paradise" comes near the end, when the beat changes and you're left craving a verse. Instead, the beat goes back to the horns and it ends within a minute. But that's a nitpicking criticism. Equally impressive tracks include the melancholy-turned-sparking "Until the Sun Dies" and "The Songbird Athletic," which is driven by erratic post-hook percussion and finger-picked guitars.

Those aforementioned issues plaguing Cassette City appear toward the end, when the record's pace begins to stumble, even though the uplifting "The Fall of the Light Brigade" nearly saves it. Lushlife's Dilla-esque chopped-up beats start to blend together – like on "In Soft Focus" and "Innocence Reprise" – and evoke a sameness that inhibits the tracks from standing out. It's true that that same quality also lends itself to creating a cohesive feel. What that does, though, is it removes a sense of cohesion that already existed. Also, Lush's work on the mic still needs some fine-tuning, though he has vastly improved. But it's more than likely that his beats, and not his rhymes, will stick with you.

- Andrew Martin