Review: Cody B. Ware- Welcome Home (2011)

Band: Cody B. Ware

Release: Welcome Home

Genre: Rap/Hip-Hop

Label: Independently Released

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/codybware

Tracklist:

1. Welcome Home

2. #33 Forever

3. Eyes Closed (Everything Is Alright)

4. Trix [Feat. Natty Monstaaa & Prince SAMO]

5. Breaking Night

6. Gangsta Party [Feat. Ninjasonik & Bad Rabbits]

7. Ladybug

8. Fear My Name [Feat. Irepress]

9. What I Came Home For [Feat. Jeff Donna]

10. Run To The Sun [Feat. Dua Boakye & Jesse Korman]

Review: 9.4/10

This is an album that has very clear strengths and one key weakness and Cody B. Ware’s latest album Welcome Home. First I shall list the strengths. First off is his very impressive vocal delivery between catchy choruses and rapping. On the opening track “Welcome Home,” there is a drum and female vocal intro saying “Welcome Home” over and over, then Cody comes in with a beat matching rap over a synth filled beat. There is a little bit of subtle piano, but as evidenced throughout the CD he uses a lot of synth compared to the radio friendly sounds you hear these days.

Perhaps the one and only weakness on every song except “#33 Forever” is that his verses are way too short. Although he spits out an awesome rap on the single, it’s overall length is still a little short. I think this would have caught on to people much more if it was extended to a four to five minute long song. I would definitely suggest re-recording and extending this song on a future release as the beat and his vocal style has a huge club potential.

“Trix” has a catchy and minimal beat that uses a different style of bass instead of going with the usual bass sound. Again, I love his perfect blend of rap, hip-hop and synth sounds that all blend perfectly together. His delivery is unrelenting and doesn’t sound the least bit lacking in any way at all, other than the length of it of course. From a short verse, chorus, then another very short verse by Natty Monstaaa just doesn’t give this song justice.

Other than the single “#33 Forever,” the song “Breaking Night” is the other shining song on the album. It has a very catchy chorus line (I’m breaking night/ I’m breaking night/ until I see the sun/ I won’t stop having fun), an infectious verse beat that the ladies can grind with and a chorus beat to really boost the energy of people dancing too.

This album is a stand out among other hip-hop albums of 2011, it doesn’t hit a top 10 for me because of the verses just being too short. It has awesome and original beats that, alone, make this album definitely apart from the rest. His rapping style is also really good and I can see him spitting among the greats in the future. 

Review: Kottonmouth Kings- Sunrise Sessions (2011)

Band: Kottonmouth Kings

Release: Sunrise Sessions

Genre: Hip-Hop/Reggae/Dubstep

Label: Suburban Noize Records

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kottonmouthkings

Tracklist:

1. Stonetown

2. Love Lost

3. Down 4 Life (Feat. Jared of Hed P.E.)

4. Kalifornia

5. My Garden

6. Boom Clap Sound

7. Back Home

8. She's Dangerous

9. Ganja Daze

10. Stay Stoned

11. Stoned Silly

12. Closing Time

13. Cruzin'

14. Great To Be Alive

15. Be Alright

16. Said And Done

Review: 7.9/10

By far one of the busiest groups in the music world, Kottonmouth Kings have recently dropped their 24th overall release, entitled Sunrise Sessions. It is also their first full length since original member Pakelika left the group, which was right after the previous albumLong Live The Kings. Although a lot of people, both newer fans and long-time fans of them, have voiced their opinions of The Dirtball joining, I think he's an excellent addition. Over 60 songs(!) were recorded for this album, most of them being bonus tracks in different formats and some are being saved for an EP set to be released later this year. 

Skipping the lackluster opener “Stonetown,” “Love Lost” is a pretty good track. It’s a very easygoing reggae track that has a tiny dubstep influence. While the word dubstep makes some people cringe and whine “OMG, KMK has been Skrillex-ed!” I can assure you that is not the case and the dubstep influence plays perfectly with the reggae music. As with most of KMK’s reggae tracks, it’s one that makes your head sway while bobbing to the vocal delivery of the various MC’s. Daddy X takes over the chorus and gives it an earthy vibe (if that can be done with its dubstep) and The Dirtball gives off his familiar light-speed rapping that has a unique ability to stay with the overall tempo of the track. 

Keeping up with their newfound love of dubstep influences, “Down 4 Life” is a hybrid bastard child of reggae, dubstep and hip-hop that is showing a new side of KMK. Featured on this track is Jared from Hed P.E., who are also signed to the Kottonmouth Kings-owned Suburban Noize Records, and he sounds awesome for his short time on the track. The lyrics seem to deal with their fame and partying, which is hardly new. I find it more amazing that with their extensive list of songs, they can still find brand new lines to write without sounding the least bit stale. 

As if they were influenced by The Dirtball, they all go for a fast rapping style in the beginning of “Boom Clap Sound.” It’s done quite nicely, but once Daddy X says his calming chorus line, they slow down just a bit and put a little more word emphasis to the beat. Then The Dirtball steps in and brings it back up to speed. The beat is classic KMK and reminds me of their album Royal Highness. Simple reggae and hip-hop all the way. 

Of course there is at least one (or ten) tracks proclaiming the freedom of ganja, and that’s more evident in the track “Ganja Daze,” which is a call to arms (or blunts) to smoke freely and “Exercise your ganja rights / These are the ganja daze / So everybody flex upon your ganja ways.” With only hip-hop bass hits, it’s a pure reggae track, with psychedelic guitar parts thrown in here and there for good measure. Easygoing and no spitting, making for a track that is sure to get some people sparking their lighters. 

With as many releases as KMK has, I found it surprising that they still have their edge they were gifted with, but better than ever. I can’t see these guys ever being over-saturated with their hundreds of songs, although it can pose a bit of a problem for new fans wanting to get into their music. 

Review: Malefic Form- Video Game Dreams EP (2011)

Band: Malefic Form

Release: Video Game Dreams EP

Genre: Instrumental/Hip-Hop/NEScore

Members: C.J. Miller

Label: Unsigned

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MaleficForm

Download for free here: http://maleficform.bandcamp.com

Tracklist:

1. Starting Screen

2. Lucid Fantasy

3. Fairy Kisses

4. Green Chill Zone (EP Mix)

5. Spiraling Downward

Review: 8.4/10

Malefic Form is someone which I used to work with back in my R&B Records days. Back then, he was in the group Surrah and they made… digitized screaming over noise… anyways, Malefic Form is an instrumental hip-hop beat artist. I first heard his Squirt Gun EP not giving it much hope, but it blew me away at how good it was. Now that EP didn’t really have any video game influence, but this one is built around familiar video game tunes.

Starting Screen is built around the intro music for Pokemon, but tweaked with for a softer, chime infused beat. Coupled with snare drum, soft bass and hi hat, it makes an ideal instrumental that doesn’t need any vocals. Lucid Fantasy is sampled from the Final Fantasy title screen and is one of the best on the EP. It has a different pitch (as it seems to me) than any of the FF games, with the addition of bass and steady snares that I could see this being a beat for a fast rap artist. Fairy Kisses is sampled from the fairy pond music of Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past. It doesn’t actually really function as a beat like the rest of the album, it’s basically just the original music with added elements such as a snare with echo and a soft hi-hat. Green Hill Zone is, you guessed it, sampled from Sonic The Hedgehog. This is different than the single that was released before the EP. This mix has a heavy overlying reverb that I feel really bogs it down compared to the original. If an artist were to use this song, I could see it being used with a R&B or indie singer instead of a rapper.

I do like this EP, but it’s not his best. I feel that he could’ve made another hip-hop instrumental beat album with the game samples instead. I look forward to hearing more of his releases and, in my opinion, is MUCH better than anything Surrah ever came out with. Although I can see this EP capturing the “dream” part, as it’s echo-filled soundscape sounds like something that would be in a dream.