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oakroots writes:

4of 5 Stars

With the writing of 'Philadelphonic', Phili-bred blues rapper G.Love extends his range of influence even further, comprising an album that adds a special sauce of 'soul' to the hybrid of jazz, blues and hip-hop developed on previous outings. Whilst remaining as streetwise as ever "Education's important to make a man complete, but everything I learnt in school I learnt again on the street", this album is used as an outlet for G.Love's spirituality with the especially pleaful 'Numbers', lyrics exceptionally poetic with our narrator opening up his soul for a beautifully layered chorus reminiscent of inner-city gospel choirs. With the Pink Floyd-esque 'Relax' you are carried off into the sky with some smooth jazz, a dream-like composition that wraps itself around your ears and sooths you right down to your shoes then slips comfortably into 'Do it for free' a more-uptempo tune which sounds more familiar of G.Love's debut release, but fits in with the rest perfectly.
The surprising thing about 'Philadelphonic' is that every track on this album gels together but achieves an unusual identity, held togther by a remarkable rythmn section and a natural groove in the possession of our chief narrator. G.Love's wonderful talent lies in his ability to absorb such a grand range of influences, fuse them together in his mind and soul, then control their direction through his busy fingers and effortless vocal style. The standout tracks are 'Dreamin'' and 'Honour and Harmony', the latter of which is easy going yet cleary heartfelt, driven by a nonchalant funky groove and bluesey guitar licks perfectly understated, climaxing with the inspirational command "The next awakening is YOU!"
There are only a couple of tracks on 'Philadelphonic' that don't quite shine as bright as the rest. One is 'Rodeo Clowns', a duet with friend Jack Johnson, who ups his usual tempo into a rap which just doesn't suit the pillowey quality of his vocal style, lacking the soulful jive that G.Love himself would have given the track. 'Friday Night (100 dollar bill)' is a good song, but Love changes his vocal style unusally for the verse giving the whole song a very Early-90's hip-hip vibe, saved by a raw harmonica lick screaming behind the chorus and an amusing story depicted by the clever lyrics.
Without the extra tune, 'Philadelphonic' would wrap up nicely anyway with the fingerpicked acoustic 'Gimme some lovin'', a pleasing Dylan-esque song-in-the-traditional-sense-of-the-word about wanting some action when you wake up next to your girl. If a record has an acoustic track you always want it to be an exceptional one, and G.Love hits the mark alot closer this time than with the unpleasantly scrappy 'I Love You' on his debut.

In conclusion, 'Philadelphonic' is not an incredible album, but it will definitely put the groove back in your feet. G.love's vocals are often powerful and stunning when not in a hypnotic state of rap, delivering lyrics that are driven with passion and more real messages than previous releases such as 'Shootin Hoops' and 'Cold Beverage'. The rythmn section is as talented as they ever were, aided further with superior production quality which helps us to really feel the solid double bass of 'Jimi Jazz' and the multi-talented beats of special sauce drummer 'Houseman'.
'Philadelphonic' - An album which should be heard by everyone!

Aug 23, 2006 03:56:32