March 2, 2001

J Rawls : The Essence Of...

Producer behind the likes of Mos Def, Black Star and J-Live directs brilliant, laidback comp of relative unknowns...

9 / 10 J Rawls' father was a keen jazz enthusiastic, and his influence is more than apparent on 'The Essence Of?'. With a lackadaisical vibe, indicative of Rawls' home state, Ohio, the album is full of deep double basslines, sensual horns and sassy piano riffs.

A noted producer who's laid beats for the likes of Mos Def, Black Star and J-Live, Rawls' style, while absorbed in jazz catches a healthy balance between Primo's use of cuts and other hip-hop elements in his work and Ali Shaheed Mohammed's minimalist approach. Rawls' ability to get the most out of the album's rappers without compromising his production style says a lot about his talent.

Check Rubix, who flips his verbals with the dexterity of Outkast on 'Elegy', but with a musical canvas indicative of the hard-core east coast sound. There's J-Live's 'Great Live Caper', with it's suffering strings and bleak Mobb Deep-esque vibe while mellifluous 'Blue #2' by Home Skill features live sax from Charles Cooper.

It's all so effortless, and utterly captivating. There are a lot of things going against the album though. It's on an independent. It's a compilation of largely unknown artists. And while every tune on the album is good, no one track leaps out as something the radio might rinse. Politics aside however, it's also one of the best pure hip-hop albums you'll hear all year. Rawls is an exceptional producer. And, unlike Ohio natives Macy Gray, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and Don King, doesn't have as many bad hair days either.

Derek A Bardowell

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