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Us3 - Schizophonic Us3 have been, dare I say the word, ‘fusing’ Jazz and Hip-hop since 1992, when Geoff Wilkinson and Mel Simpson created the group out of earlier projects that were pointing in the same direction. Despite the trouble they nearly got themselves into by sampling from the Blue Note archives, the legendary label ended up signing them, thus giving them official access to all those precious sounds.
Cut to today, and the sampling is kept to a bare minimum. As the sleevenotes say, “No samples were hurt in the making of this album”, with Wilkinson preferring to create everything from the ground up. It feels like they’ve always been on the fringes of the mainstream, and aren’t particularly ‘underground’ either, so, if you were trying to place them, it would be difficult to. But even those who think they don’t know the group will almost certainly know some of their songs, even if it’s just through the occasional commercial.
Schizophonic certainly follows this tradition, and is pretty easy on the ears. Perhaps a little too easy on them; but we’ll come to that. Essentially, this is a summery album, and deliberately so, with about as much weight to it as a floaty summery dress.
That’s How We Do It is the opening track, and as the title suggests, is all about putting the credentials out on the table. Akil Dasan’s rap has a nice flow to it, bringing a harder edge to the soft lounge-style backing. But the “that’s what it is, that’s how we do it, that’s why I love this hip hop music” chorus is hardly the most original statement of intent. It works though, and the sound is satisfyingly funky. Sax solos veer in an out of earshot, reinforcing the sense that Us3 are stood astride two genres.
Kick It is a Brazilian samba rap inspired by the boys in yellow and green, and despite the football theme, which rarely translates into a great song, it works really well. Okay so maybe it’s because we’re in the middle of the world cup, but after two relatively lacklustre games so far, perhaps Ronaldinho et al should be listening to this upbeat track to fire them up a bit. Well, Ronaldo should be anyway!
The weaker tracks are where Us3 go for a ‘lurve vibe’, like on Was It Love?, the third track. And I only use those two words in that way because the silky/cheesy delivery demands it. Now there’s nothing to say that a light delivery can’t make for a great love rap (think the wittiness of De La Soul’s Jenifa Taught Me on 3 Feet High and Rising) but the lyrics never truly lift things here.
What’s Goin’ On In The World Today wants to be the rap equivalent of Gaye’s What’s Going On, even name-checking him in the chorus. And while the verses work really well, with compelling raps delivered by Gaston and Akil Dasan, the chorus just strays a little close to Black Eyed Peas ‘Where is the Love’ territory. Tone down the pop sensibilities a little and this could have hit harder, but if it’s conscious hip-hop you want, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
Interestingly enough, If Only is just a jazzy instrumental, but works really well, and reveals just how adept Wilkinson is at creating strong arrangements, where the hip-hop surface can mask it a little. Building on this, Get Busy is a pacey track that’s got the strongest real old school jazz sound to it, and Akil’s rap (and singing) is the most committed here too. So when they truly go for it, this group can really rock; it’s just that a lot of the time they’re content to lay back, and the music can’t help but drift into the background.
Writing all this down, it probably sounds really negative, but that isn't our intention. Us3 have made a solid album with Schizophonic, and a lot of it is perfect as a backdrop for a lazy summer and barbeque season. It’s just that because it’s trying to combine jazz and hip-hop, and sometimes it’s not quite committed enough to either side of the equation, the resulting compromise between the genres can sound a little soft at times. Still, seeing as that’s kind of the point, and this is music designed to entertain you, not change you, it’s only a criticism depending on how you look at it. The pun of the title is apt of course, not least because how you feel about this album will largely depend on whether or you think combining hip hop with jazz in the first place is madness or not.
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