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REVIEW:
Overall Rating:
 
Lyrics:
Beats:
Written By:
The Reccollectah
In 2006 Bronze Nazareth
brought his debut album which was an immediate classic to
many Wu fans whose attention got drawn towards this upcoming
talent in 2003 through his 2 contributions to RZA’s “BOAP”
album . “The Great Migration” was Bronze’s beautiful ode to
this all-influencing, trademark Wu sound with each typical
ingredient present. Logically this turned many heads and
gave him an ever growing prominent position in the Wu
Production Pantheon as almost everyone with a name in the Wu
world has worked with Bronze ever since.
Now it’s 2011 and the wait for
the follow-up is finally over: “School for the Blindman”
dropped at the end of September. It has 20 tracks ( 23 if
you purchased the digital version). I have been listening to
it over and over again. If you ask me, it’s simply
impressive.
Diehard fans who prefer the
typical grimy, slow paced Wu sound might not agree right
away and prefer the debut’s feel. But they should realize it
was equally (to quote a certain Irish friend) “A portrait of
the artist as a young man “ who was still discovering his
position in the Wu world and enjoying his acceptance in it
to the fullest. True artists evolve, to remain where you are
at is the same as regressing. This album is the result of
Bronze’s evolution and experiences of the past five years
and shows he has found his own sound and place in the hip
hop scene. Off course you will still hear echoes of his Wu
influences but there is so much more now.
Hailing from Detroit aka
Motown Bronze still draws the soul card but instead of
trying to give it a dark twist, he now fully embraces the
essence of Soul music: uplifting your mood with the warmest
and most emotional music you can imagine. From start till
finish the music is much warmer and deeper than on “The
Great Migration” and the production is phenomenal. In each
song Bronze plays with the beat and just radiates his
confidence as a producer in each drumfill, sample, break, …
you name it.
Once you have given this album
enough spins to get to know the songs, I advise you to
listen to this album on another level: put up a “Do not
disturb” sign on the door, throw yourself in a comfortable
couch, put some (RZA ?) headphones on and press play. But
now try to listen beyond the songs and lyrics and focus on
the construction of the music … and be amazed. Amazed as the
rich production will now reveal itself: countless times
Bronze drops the beat, switches up drums sounds , laces in
mini breaks, throws in samples to abort them multiple times,
adds the most beautiful harmonies and backing vocals he
could find in his soul crates, covers the already great
beats with more (echoes of) drum fills or where necessary
paints fitting live instrumentation from Project Lionheart
over the music … but nowhere does this feel forced or does
he lose control over the end result ( a problem he had a bit
on last years’ Wisemen album “Children of a lesser god” in
my opinion). It’s as if Bronze’s game plan for this album
was: “ Where other producers would stop , I will only just
begin !” Where others might trip and end in chaos, Bronze
only created sheer beauty.
Lyrically there’s equally a
lot richness to discover, Bronze and the rest of his Wisemen
crew have always paid much attention to their writing and
this album is no exception or as Bronze describes himself
somewhere: “ These lyrics will make a nigga workout”. Add an
A-list of features all blessing the mic with inspired verses
such as Canibus, Masta Killa, Deck, RZA, LA the Darkman and
his brother Willy the Kid, plus his fellow Wisemen … and you
know you’re in for a treat.
Or to quote a certain New
York friend: “Bronze is ill, ill, son. Bronze is … ILL !!!”
Final conclusion :
Production wise Bronze is at his peak and delivered his
second classic album that serves as the warm antipode for
his darker debut. Personally I can’t think of any better
album this past year. For the readers who were searching for
examples or title tracks throughout the review : Why would I
name some while none deserve to be left out ? Discover them
one by one, they’ll stick with you for a long time .
Feel free to (dis)agree !
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