E Reece and Core Elements: L.I.S. n 2 This Live in Studio” Album Rview
This morning I had pancakes, eggs, chicken sausage and the E Reece and Core elements album for breakfast.
I consumed every track with an open mind and ear hoping to come out satisfied and full from the production as well as the content.
E Reece is an MC backed by Core Elements, a band with seven members with various positions ranging from musicians to a hype man.
Before I listened to the album, “L.I.S. n 2 this Live in studio” and heard it was hip-hop, I was apprehensive. I thought I was in for an interesting ride. It turns out that I was.
The production, the arrangement, The performance from each artist was exceptional and I was truly impressed from track 1 to 14. But just as in life, I had some highs and lows.
The album opens with a masculine voice saying, “The music is all around us, all you have you have to do is listen”. Riding the sounds of the live band, E Reece repeats,” Listen to this, Just listen to this”. From then, my attention was captured.
Like the intro, I was also pulled into “In Love”. A song that professed the love of a girl by telling the story of how he approached her.
Although we have all heard song of this nature, this was uniquely endearing. And to top it off, the second verse was laced with the beat from a Notorious B.I.G. song, “Get Money”, which is one of my all time favorites.
E Reece’s lyrics can come off elementary at times, but nonetheless, I’m impressed that he’s not speaking about cars, “the streets”, or using derogatory language towards women and actually had something to say in most of the songs.
In fact, at the end of the second track, Reece is asked why he doesn’t rap about the typical thing rap is known for. He simply replied, “It’s not me”.
Unfortunately, “Well Well Well” may turn listeners off with its repetitiveness. “Life Changes” also suffers from the same disease, however, it’s tolerable because of it’s catchy melody.
“In Love” and “Mic Check” Actually appear twice on the album, digitally produced and in a live form. I feel the live version will be widely excepted because of its ability to activate natural rhythm in listeners.
The union of jazz and hip-hop may be compared to the hip-hop band, The Roots, who may be one of the first rapper/ band collaborations. However, Reece and Element definitely have an identity of their own.
On the interlude,”Jazzercise”, Core Elements definitely channel old jazz tunes and made it sound fresh.
This album will appeal to young music lovers that can appreciate reminiscent beats with a live flavor. It’s a great example of creation and connections between artist that are only going to get better and grow stronger.
