Album Review: Charity Starts At Home - Phonte

Charity Starts At Home is the debut album of Phonte as a solo artist. Just like many others i knew Phonte from his group Little Brother. Personally i never looked into their discography, despite enjoying their sound. I won't make that mistake again after listening to this album.

There's no better way to start a review by saying that Charity Starts At Home is a "grown man" album. Music that i wouldn't be afraid to call "Real" and be questioned on how it's considered "real" hip hop. The thing is, The album is so relatable and personal that i almost felt that it was actually written for the people. I rarely felt like i was listening to a song that was about some famous persons life and how they can accomplish what the average person can't. Phonte had the ability to make his music seem so down to earth. 

The production of this album is handled by various producers including 9th Wonder, Khrysis, and S1. At least, i'd like to say that it was done by many producers but the production sounded like it was made from the same person with slight differences here and there. It's rare that i point out a negative so quickly in an album review but unlike Ipecac Neat it was far more noticeable that the sound was consistent. There were some good shifts in production like "Eternally" "Ball and Chain" and "To Be Yours" and if there were more changes like this i wouldn't have any issue. The difference between Charity Starts At Home and Ipecac Neat is there was slightly more production diversity in the latter, or atleast better placed production diversity.

On the lyrical side this album is very well done. The most impressive lyrics were the ones where Phonte took a cliche, flipped it in the direction he wanted, and pretty much coined the phrase. He even had lines where if anyone else would have said it, I would have considered it a wack line. The delivery and word play is on a high level that fits Phonte's persona. Although we must remember that Phonte has been in the game for ten plus years. People i know who listen to Phonte tell me you can't expect less.

On the other side of lyrics Phonte has a few tracks where he's actually singing. I personally feel that Phonte has outdone the "Drake" lane on a mere few tracks. The singing isn't mind blowing but it doesn't sound any less natural than the rapping. Infact, "Gonna Be a Beautiful Night" is probably one of my favorite tracks on this album and the majority of it is singing. I honestly look forward to an entire R&B release by Phonte.

It would be wrong not to speak directly about the concepts of this album. Phonte's subject matter includes topics such as the daily struggle, in "The Good Fight", to questioning your ability to stay faithful to your spouse, in "Sendin My Love", to choosing between the better of two life loves, in "Who Love's You More". Although Phonte speaks in first person in all these songs you beginning placing yourself in these lyrics. Almost as if someone had turned your daily life into an album, you really find yourself thinking "Phonte made this for me".

Alongside Phonte is a slew of rap and r&b features on the majority of this album, 8/12 tracks to be exact. Not saying that there are verses on all these songs, 3/8 are only chorus'. The features that were verses however stood out greatly. The first of these features is Elzhi on Track 4, "Not Here Anymore". Elzhi delivers yet another impressive verse adding more to this lyrical song on a rappers struggle to succeed. Next was Track 5, "Eternally" where Median and Phonte were going back and forth bar for bar. Median started the track until Phonte hopped in and the baton passed continued with returning with lines that were stealing the show from each other. The first sung verse feature was track 9, "Gonna Be a Beautiful Night" where Carlitta Durand shared her vocals for a well placed view of the female's side of this short story where people in search of love have found their soul mate and enjoying the time with them, in what i'd assume is a club. The next feature saw the illustrious Pharoahe Monch delivering a dope verse in "We Go Off". It's been a minute since i've heard Pharoahe and it felt great hearing him on this track. The last features were a triad competition between Phonte, Evidence, and Big K.R.I.T. There was no weak verse on this track but i'd be lying if i said that K.R.I.T. didn't steal the show. 

The main negative, i had mentioned earlier, was the production pretty much sounding the same. It isn't bad production but it almost makes a great lyricist like Phonte sound boring in the long run. A bit more diversity in production would have put this album even further up considering that half way through the album i almost want to stop and go play something slightly more upbeat. 

Charity Starts At Home is an album i would recommend to all hip hop listeners. I believe that anyone could agree that it's the definition of "real" hip hop and can respect it as such. If you need some music to sit back and relax to while you think, Charity Starts At Home is perfect.

Rating: Must Buy

Stand-Out Tracks: The Good Fight, Eternally, To Be Yours, We Go Off, The Life of Kings, Who Loves You More

Album Review: You and Yer Good Ideas - Astronautalis

Astronautalis is a Minneapolis rapper who i discovered by his feature in a P.O.S track, "Hand Made Hand Gun". Although i loved his verse he didn't really stand out in my mind as an artist that i would consider adding to my CD collection. This was soon changed after seeing his performance of said P.O.S track. The energy this man carried was incredible and i was so thoroughly impressed i had to give him a shot. You and Yer Good Ideas is the freshman release of Astronautalis and what an incredible journey this was.

To begin i must admit that this isn't just any Indie/Hippy album, This is my type of of Indie/Hippy album. Alternative Hip Hop being my favorite genre this album delivers exactly that and not just in a single way. The production is a mixture of Astronautalis and an artist known as Radicalface, an artist i shall definitely consider looking in to after hearing this album.The production takes many experimental routes, pretty noticeable in "Hurricane Isabel" and "Something' For the Kids", that work well with Astronuatalis' sound. I almost can't describe the twists and turns simply but i will definitely attempt to on a Track by Track review.

Astronautalis' sound is rather intriguing. He has so many various sounds that he can make feel natural from the straight spitting tracks, like "Tightrope", to the more soft punk rock track "Fourth of July". I could quote this ten track album for days on end. The only time i felt like i was hearing a bad track was when i was comparing it to a personal favorite, "I'm Never Right". Astronautalis doesn't sing too often in this album yet when he does its calm and relaxing but emotional.

To be honest the lyrics don't play a huge roll in this album, at first. At first you're just so strung in by the productions sound and how Astronautalis is able to fit right into it beautifully. However when you get the opportunity to study the lyrics, and i hope you do, you'll be taken even further aback. The concepts seem simple by just listening to them but when you study these lyrics you'll see the unhidden hidden message. I can't say he was hiding the lyrics but you're so caught up in the music by itself that you almost don't feel that need to see the lyrics.

The passion put into this sound is just incredible. Astronautalis comes across rather monotone just listening to the album yet the emotions seemingly flow from the stereo. The voice fits the mood of the production perfectly without coming across over the top or underwhelming. At times i didn't know what i loved more, the production or the voice. I could just fall asleep to this album because of how beautiful it sounds.

But enough of me just complementing Astronautalis, There were two features on this album that deserve recognition. The first of which is Isaiah Toothtaker on the track "I'm Never Right". He easily had the most passion on the entire album. The dramatic lyrics and the voice pitch. I truly felt the pain Isaiah wanted me to feel and completely stole the show from Astronautalis. The second of said features was Radicalface on "Fourth of July". To be honest i can't tell you where exactly Radicalface is in this beautiful composition. It's not cause he doesn't stand out but the voices all felt like they could have fit Astronautalis. It's like listening to Clipse' early albums and not being able to tell Terror from Malice until listening to them both independently. This isn't necessarily bad because it means everything harmonized well, I just don't think Radicalface will receive the deserved credit for this track.

The faults on this album had a lot more to do with the later transitions of the sound. Starting at Track Seven, "People Often Tell Me I'm Good at What I Do" the sound becomes so mellow. It's not a bad track at all and the concept is very respectable but i almost feel an urge to grab a pillow not in the way i mentioned above. It's best described as a sound that you'd hear walking on the shore of a beach next to a beautiful women. Although it picks back up with Track Eight, "Baggage Claim" your mood has been so slowed that this sudden lift is almost unwanted at the moment. The transition could have definitely been better. To make matters worse it drops down again with "Fax Machine". These aren't bad tracks the transition is just lacking and honestly i had to look up their names compared to other tracks that i could name instantly.

This album was a great journey that i don't think will ever get old. Listening to it in 2012 it doesn't feel out dated either except for maybe "Something' For the Kids" but that was due to a reference to a certain rapper in verse one. I didn't know how Astronautalis could top this album considering it easily became one of my top five albums, turning Astronautalis into one of my favorite rapper artists.

Rating: Classic In The Making 

Stand-Out Tracks: Gaston Ave, Tightrope, Oceanwalk, Hurricane Isabel, Something' For the Kids, I'm Never Right, People Often Tell Me I'm Good at What I Do, Fourth of July

Colossal Audio Rating System

After writing my album review for Ipecac Neat i realized i didn't want a normal number/grade rating system. So on the spur of the moment i created a rating system that i think fits how i want to describe an album. My rating system has 8 levels: Classic, Hidden Gem, Classic in the making, Must Buy, Worth 10 Dollars, Illegal Download, Skip-able, and It Didn't Happen.

Classic:

Classic is pretty self explanatory and has very rare uses. A classic album is an album that is, in my opinion, perfect from head to toe. I can't have any doubts about the album and i am able to place it against other classic albums and feel comfortable. For a classic to truly be a classic it has to survive the test of time and receive critical acclaim. This means that any album i name a classic has to have been out at least 5 years and still have incredible power. Similarly it can't just be me who believes the album is great. The word classic couldn't fit so many diverse albums if it were merely one mans opinion.

Hidden Gem:

Hidden Gem is a term that will be used a lot with great albums that i feel haven't received enough attention.These albums are basically classics however they lack the critical acclaim they deserve. A hidden gem will be placed up against the classic albums in the same type of comparisons but won't completely hit the mark. Hopefully by labeling an album as a Hidden Gem someone may see it and help spread the album around.

Classic in the Making:

A classic in the Making is an album that i appreciate greatly. It may have received alot of attention and may have survived the test of time but just wasn't perfect. There was just something missing that hopefully i'll be able to elaborate on.

Must Buy:

Another self explanatory rating. Anything above a Must Buy usually fits into this category. A Must Buy album is an album that may have had a few faults and deserves a spot in my ipod/CD collection.

Worth 10 Dollars:

The Worth 10 Dollars category means that the album was good.  There are more things wrong with the album than the Must Buy albums but good enough to deserve a place in my CD collection.

Illegal Download:

This does not mean that i am condoning downloading an album but rather an allusion for "if you want to hear it listen to it on youtube or borrow a copy from someone." Basically i feel that the album doesn't really deserve much money because it was either bad or lacked effort.

Skip-able:

These albums didn't do anything for me. I may have listened to it out of pure interest but i didn't feel like i gained anything from it. If i put down an artist that you just gotta listen to the discography of in this category chances are you'll get it somehow anyway but for those who aren't really interested in that album i wouldn't recommend because it's a waste of time. This category will be hard to fill considering that it takes a lot of nothing to make me think an album can be skipped.

It Didn't Happen:

This is the definition of a terrible album. An album that i just want to erase from my memory because nothing worked at all. An album that i'd try to give away in hopes that i don't see it again. I hope not to have any album in this category just because its hard for me to hate any type of music.


That is the basic rating system. Albums, EPs and Mixtapes will all be set to this standard. If there are any questions or anything that needs to be explained in better detail please let me know.