Blackalicious
Blazing Arrow
[MCA; 2002]
Rating: 9.3
This is one of those classic summer albums that crams in so much sound and so
much life that listening to it is like going to a block party, all-day concert
and a family reunion all at the same time. Blazing Arrow is the
major-label debut of underground hip-hop act Blackalicious, and if it sounds
like they had more money to work with than ever before, at least they spent it
well. The layered production, the mess of styles, and the three-ring circus of
guest stars turn this into a breakthrough record. But what makes it a
masterpiece is that Gift of Gab and Chief Xcel can hold it together with the
directness of their vision of strength and hope: this is unstoppably joyous, a
complicated album that feels as natural as sunshine on your forehead.
Like their full-length debut, Nia, Blackalicious use the full 74 minutes
of the compact disc, and every minute has something good. But this album is also
a massive advance on the last one, pushing the limber rhymes and tight beats with
more musical innovation. Start with the short funk intro "Bow and Arrow," which
segues into "Blazing Arrow," featuring a bouncing bassline knocking into a horn
section and a hazy, dreamy Harry Nilsson sample on the chorus.
Xcel and Gab canvas thirty years of funk, soul, hip-hop and modern R&B;, skipping
from one to the other every song. There are the nostalgic lyrics and smooth
sound on "Make You Feel That Way," with its haunting trumpet line; but a couple
tracks away is "Chemical Calisthenics," a breakneck lyrical workout for Gab
backed by scattershot beats from Cut Chemist. Blazing Arrow gets better
with every listen as you dig into the different styles and rhythms-- from the
slow glide of "Brain Washers" to the strong beats on "4000 Miles" and "Paragraph
President"-- not to mention the details, like Gab punching in that "Fade away!"
on the title track, or the breaking beaker on "Chemical Calisthenics."
As for the guestlist: it's impressive, not just because of the big names that
lent a hand, and not just because they sound good, but because some of them have
never sounded better. There are plenty of guest rappers-- Lateef the Truth
Speaker, Chali 2NA, and Lyrics Born, to name a few-- but the other vocalists are
surprising. Will Rage Against the Machine's Zack de la Rocha ever have another
chance to shout on a record this mature? And Gil Scott-Heron's basso profundo
firms up "First in Flight"-- he didn't even sound that good back when he sounded
that good. Fellow SoleSides alumnus DJ Shadow slips in a between-tracks
interlude, and Saul Williams gets a showcase for his gnarled, elaborate verses
in "Release." And ?uestlove of the Roots co-wrote and plays drums on one of the
album's standouts, the missed-opportunities rumination of "Nowhere Fast."
Blazing Arrow has moments of slick R&B;, not least because of the
MCA-roster female vocalists who help slow things down: Jaguar Wright's randy,
sassy guest spot on "Aural Pleasure," Keke Wyatt on "It's Going Down," or
Tracey Moore's smooth-as-silk chorus on "Nowhere Fast." Xcel fills out the
sound with live instruments, including horns on several songs. Dig the funky
keyboards and cello low in the mix on "Nowhere Fast" as Gab runs through a list
of what he'll accomplish "tomorrow," while the music sends him drifting away.
Gab has plenty of fast rhymes, but is more impressive for the clarity of his
message. There's a humility to his frontman stance that makes this album about
everything but himself. He and Xcel have the stage, and all they want to do is
share it. It's as if the scope of this album-- the stylistic diversity, the
guest artists, the sincere, ecstatic rhymes-- doesn't come from ambition or
creativity for its own sake, but out of a need to include everyone they know
and everything they see around them. Not since Car Wash has there been
such a celebration of diversity and hot fun in the summertime. And unlike that
otherwise classic film, Blazing Arrow doesn't have the Pointer Sisters
to drag it down.
-Chris Dahlen, May 30th, 2002