Search - Soul Position :: 8 Million Stories

Not Instantly Accessible, But undeniably worthy of 5 Stars

fetish_2000 | U.K. | 04/19/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The collaborative effort from beatmaker `Rjd2' and vocalist/emcee `Blueprint', certainly isn't your average Hip-Hop album. Those looking for something immediately accessible with celebratory / Party tunes will be sorely disappointed, and those expecting an instrumental collage cut `n' paste continuation of Rjd2's own "Dead Ringer" album will also be (Mostly) disappointed, but if you allow this album the time and space to convince you, this occupies a truly worth space all of its own.Soul position feels conceptual in structure, as most of the tracks are loosely theme based (usually) around common situations that are familiar (or can at least relate to), so you have the stories of dead end Jobs ("Fu**ajob"), inexplicable violence on the streets ("Look of Pain"), articulate thought & Conscious self awareness ("Just Think"), straight through to Tongue in Cheek embellished girlfriend stories ("The Jerry Springer Episode") with the wit & swagger of emcee's like "Edan" or "Louis Logic". Rapper "Blueprint" who provides the lyrical content, proves to be a completely justified choice here, as although lacking some of the deft vocal trickery of Rap's finest, surpasses expectations by being multi-faceted in moving virtually seamlessly from the rapid fire delivery raps dynamics on the stunning "Candyland" interludes, that (in my mind), are so good, they should have been fleshed out & expanded into full songs. To the introspective, reflective authoritative tones of the more sombre tracks, injected with a playful sense of Humour that's as freewheeling as it is elaborate.Rjd2 being the beat constructer for this album, confidently sidesteps thudding beats and incorporates a broader spectrum of sounds & influences than on his solo album. And the effect (if your prepared for a non-conformist approach) is truly stunning, with a strong Soul influence running throughout that encapsulates, piano, Blues Guitar, organ, gorgeous strings sections, and movie dialogue (that are expertly incorporated) give significant weight to the argument that he's amongst Hip-Hip's finest prodcuers, and for both "Look of Pain" & "Survival" an unsettling mix of vampire Horror String soundtrack samples, String Sections & minimal beats form a highly original movie soundtrack of sorts.....which are something of a mini-revelation, in that its feels more expressive than admittedly well produced generic Hip-hop beats (possibly an expansion from his "the Horror EP"). Throughout the album (which other reviews frequently mention) Rjd2 takes production to a new level, and truly shows how Hip-Hop has the potential to be so much more than simplistic beats, in fact so good is the production throughout this album, that I'm surprised the record label didn't make this a double disk release, with the second disk being purely instrumental.As is mentioned In the spotlight review, This is an album that needs patience to extract the best from it. It's entirely possible that (Like me) you'll be expecting much from this album, and feel a little under-whelmed after the first listen, as it doesn't immediately draw you in, or resemble anything that could be played in a social / club environment (it's too subtle in its approach for that). It needs a few listens (preferably with minimal distractions), but each listen will unearth something new....something missed the first time, the production then beings to truly shine through, subtle references & wordplay are slowly digested, and the innovative arrangements and loosely theme concepts begin to gel. And it's at this point that mild disappointment turns into critical approval & a better understanding of what's been presented here.This album sits somewhere uncomfortably between being a bit too quirky & alternative, and lacking immediately accessible tracks for mainstream consumption, and yet probably a little too heavily produced and indulgent too truly be considered `Leftfield'...it sits somewhere in-between the two polar opposites, but if you can look past that and enter into this album with no preconceptions of what to expect from the two artists involved (hard I know..), this is a extremely promising effort, that you'd been well advised to include in your musical collection."

Excellent

NJA | France | 04/19/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't speak a good english enough to express my feeling about this album. That's really really good music. RJD2's beats are dope and the voice of blueprint is the perfect addition. In fact, this album may be strange at firt listening but when you really discover it, it is a masterpiece.Best tracks:
Just think
Jerry springer episode
Printmatic
Right place wrong timeI also bought the instrumental version in vinyl and it's really good too."

Should add a Half to be fair

Hot Hands O'Malley | With Carmen Sandiego | 11/16/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"i wish you could do half star ratings...but oh well. Cause thats what this album really is. But i mean...thats still really good and this album is truly noteworthy. As a producer/artist...RJ really is above his peers at the moment. Maybe even if you took his huge shine in the spotlight away, his musical vision would have him surpass current indie producers, or any other producer in the mainstream. Then, to add a talented mc like Blueprint, you really cant go wrong. The songs all shine in their own ways. RJ has a nice nack for makin each song have this...mood to them. Print's lyrics never really flounder...the only thing i found even worthy of considering when rating this song was the one thing that sorta stuff out...which is the fact that some of the hooks get annoying...but not too anoying. But, dont take that too serious. Other than that...perfect cd for these to to make. Can't really go wrong with anything rj does either

buy it and cry tears of joy"