Albums I listened to this week [6/8/08]

Andre 3000 - Whole Foods [2008] "Whole Foods" is a mixtape featuring some of the highlights of Andre 3000's career to date. Oddly, the album does not include any material from the debut Outkast album, Southernplayalisticadillalmuzik. Most of the selection is mellow and laid-back.

The song transitions are so-so. The transitions seem to rely upon fade-ins and fade-outs as opposed to blending. Also, several of the tracks that are normally several minutes long are cut short as they exclude verses by MCs other than Andre 3000 (such as "Throw Some D's Remix" and "Trans DF Express").

The album includes a solid lineup of guest artists such as: Erykah Badu, Cee-Lo, Esthero, Macy Gray, Big Boi, Gwen Stefani, Kelis and more.
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Braille - Shades Of Grey [2004]

A solid album. It really doesn't sound four years old. It sounds like it could have been produced in today's (underground hip-hop) soundscape. About three weeks ago, I purchased his most recent release ("The IV Edition"), but hadn't yet listened to it. After hearing "Shades of Grey," I will certainly move Braille's new material to the top of my "to do" list.
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Lupe Fiasco - It Was Written [2008]
I am a fan of Lupe Fiasco's lyricism and Fahrenheit mixtape series. "It Was Written" lived up to his reputation. As I expected, there were solid guest appearances (Jay-Z, Nas, Kanye West, Naledge, Evidence, Ghostface and more).
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Chill Rob G - Ride The Rhythm [1990]
I took it back on this one. I remember coming across a Chill Rob G video or two back in the day, but I didn't know that much about him. While checking out this album, I did a little research and learned that he was in the Flavor Unit with Queen Latifah. (I had no idea.) Most of the album was produced by Mark the 45 King (who also produced songs for Rakim, Queen Latifah, Gang Starr, Biz Markie, MC Lyte, Jay-Z ("Hard Knock Life"), and Eminem ("Stan")).

The song that stands out for nostalgic reasons: "The Power." See the video HERE.

I don't know if there was a mix-up at the record label, but the song is almost identical to "The Power" by Snap. See that video HERE.
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Trae - Tha Diary Of Tha Truth
I am surprised that Trae doesn't get more national attention. It amazes me that he failed to garner that attention when Houston was the temporary center of Hip-Hop's world a couple of years ago. 2004's "Same Thing Different Day" and 2006's "Restless" were strong albums, but for some reason Trae seemed to remain in the shadows of other Houston MCs such as Paul Wall, Slim Thug, Lil Flip and Chamillionaire.

"Tha Diary of tha Truth" comes across as a Dirty South all-star album. Guest artists include: Rick Ross, Shawty Lo, Rich Boy, Slim Thug, Young Jeezy, Jadakiss, Kanye West, Hurricane Chris, The Dream, and T.I. One of the definite highlights is "F*ck Yo Girl" featuring Young Jeezy and The Dream. I also enjoyed the contrasting styles between Trae and Jadakiss on "Don't."

Trae definitely deserves more pub.
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Poor Righteous Teachers - Holy Intellect [1990]

Two songs stand out on this album: "Rock Dis Funky Joint" and "Shakiyla."

"Rock Dis Funky Joint" relied upon a sample from "Slippin Into Darkness" by War. As was the case with many hit songs from that era that relied upon samples, a lawsuit ensued.

"Shakiyla" was PRT's venture into music directed to the ladies. The funky laid back sample carries the song a long way and allows me to overlook the horrible singing on the chorus. (Interestingly, PRT knew the singing was sub-par. In Brian Coleman's book, "Check The Technique," PRT's Wise Intelligent provided insight into the chorus. The chorus was performed by PRT's Culture Freedom. Wise Intelligent's thoughts: "His singing wasn't so hot.")
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Young Jeezy - The Prime Minister (Mixtape)
This is an extremely short CD with only 12 tracks. Moreover, only two songs exceed 4 minutes in length, with three more songs falling in at 3-4 minutes in length. No major highlights here. The vocoder voice box toy of the year shows up on a couple of tracks. Also, Jeezy raps over Lil Wayne's Lollipop beat.