Posted on 05/04/2009
Christina Applegate may be on the cover of a national magazine, but as far as I'm concerned, Georgia Anne Muldrow is one of the most beautiful people in the world today. Her output in the last few years has been nothing short of amazing, and she does it with a refreshing power. You're bound to be overwhelmed, if not consumed, by her productions and words, whether sung or rapped. Muldrow has put together a compilation featuring her latest projects and calls it Ms. One & The Gang. It could signify a group, but it seems like nothing more than people coming and going into her studio and just dropping laid back music for the masses. The album doesn't hold up as solidly as recent albums - there's not a running theme by any means - but what you do sense is that it's the music of someone who is very confident of her mission.

First off, let me go back to what I said about the album not holding up. Ms. One & The Gang isn't a failure by any means, but anyone who expects to hear a cohesive set of songs with a singular mindset will be turned off. What you will hear is a collection of songs produced by Muldrow, featuring some of her friends. In some cases these artists are nothing more than pseudonyms for her, or her and Dudley Perkins, but there are family members and close friends involved too. There's a guy named Illicit Child who sounds a hell of a lot like DeS, the guy who rhymed on East Flatbush Project's "Tried By 12," and when you hear him rhyme on "Hiphop" and "Far Behind" it's almost as if you're hearing royalty hitting the surface again. The ones who are laid back on this album are Big Pooh and Black Milk, who bust out on "2 MC" and show how well they go together. A young female rapper by the name of Ms. Dezy kicks it old school with the "80's Freestyle Skit" and honors her father in "Dearest Daddy," showing some compassion between daughter and father. There are also appearances from Stacy Epps, Jimetta Rose, Mortonette Stephens, and Rickie Byars Beckwith, and of course Perkins and Muldrow find themselves blessing the mic as well. If anything, it's her way of getting people to hear artists who haven't been able to get a decent amount of underground support. By becoming a part of her gang, the idea is that the aforementioned artists will be heard and become one with the funk.

So who is Ms. One? Muldrow of course, who uses it as a production pseudonym. The album sounds like much of her work, and thankfully it doesn't sound like reheated leftovers, (although "Mr. President" seems to be about George W. Bush and not Barack Obama, since there's a bit of hate in her voice and lyrics). If there is one common thread that runs through these songs, it's that they are all super funky, and quite laid back. The mood is such that you might want to make some brownies for yourself and a significant other, and throw in some secret herbs to make it that much more special. Or if Ms. One & The Gang was a brownie, one bite would provide a lengthy high, and perhaps this is why the album was created this way. The 21 songs here celebrate the universe, Africa, heritage, family, loved ones, and those who promised to funk, the whole funk, and nothing but the funk. By offering an fair amount of diversity it also helps to preserve the idea of one love through music.

- John Book