Mos Def - The Ecstatic [Album]

Downtown

August 2, 2009, 03:09 PM

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I’ve been a fan of Mos Def for years. Of the man himself more than his music, I must admit. If you’ve seen him in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Monster’s Ball, The Italian Job, or any of his other acting work, you know he drips with charisma and is a talented actor. I had seen him on the Dave Chappelle Show and he was good. I have a particularly strong image of him rapping behind the wheel of a car while Dave bobs his head and just takes in his impressive flow.

I picked up Mos Def’s 2002 release ‘Black on Both Sides’ a few years ago and looked forward to hearing his studio work. I really wanted to like that album, but I just didn’t. I only ripped one track to my iPod, 'Rock n Roll'. It’s a great track with a slick feel in which he wails “Elvis Presley ain’t got no soul! Bo Diddley is Rock n Roll. You might dig on The Rolling Stones, but they didn’t come up with that shit on their own.” Sadly, the song is marred for me by the 60-second thrash punk finish. Still a great track, but the only one I liked on the album. Based on my disappointment, I hadn’t bothered to pick up either of his other two releases.

I have heard a few good things about Mos Def’s new release, 'The Ecstatic.' I picked it up and gave it a spin, hoping he had managed to put together a more appealing effort. Holy Cow. This is the album I have been wanting from Mos Def. It is a very strong effort. Of the 16 tracks on the album, 14 made the cut and are now on my iPod. The samples are cool and he combines them to produce a wide variety of grooves: R&B ballads, neo-disco, straight ahead rap, a little Middle-Eastern flavor. The variety is impressive. A lot of the songs are only a couple minutes long. A less creative artist who crafted a groove like some of these would hang out in it for 5 or six minutes. He jumps in, speaks his piece, and moves on with an offhandedness that says he’s got a million of ‘em.

The album was produced by Madlib and Oh No (Madlib’s younger brother). I thought I was hearing MF Doom’s influence in this album. He wasn’t involved, but Madlib has collaborated with him, Talib Kweli (former Black Star mate of Mos Def’s, who also appears on this album), Ghostface Killah (who has a similar sound), and others. I think they kind of roll together and produce this complex sound I like so much. The production blends the impressive variety of samples and effects smoothly and with a richness that holds your attention the whole way through.

Mos Def’s flow is as strong as ever on this as well. He has always been able to turn a phrase and he picks cool topics. 'The Embassy' talks about how saying you work for an embassy just sounds cool and gets you the red carpet treatment. 'Workers Comp' discusses the perils of shagging your boss. Even when he’s treading familiar ground for Hip Hop, he has interesting things to say in new ways. 'Quiet Dog Bite Hard' seems to discuss his God-given talents (if I’m interpreting the lyrics correctly). Nearly every song is creatively conceived, brilliantly expressed, and cunningly rapped.

Mos Def is firing on all cylinders on this album. The raps are smooth, the sung melodies are appealing or appropriately atonal, the effects are well-placed, and the grooves soothe or rock as intended. 'The Ecstatic' will knock you out. I usually link to a few tracks that I especially think you should check out, but not this time. Go buy the entire disc.

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