This is the 2nd extended play from London, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Sly Moon. A member of the Children of the Damned as well as its successor the Cult of the Damned & the Sohio Players, he made his full-length debut in 2020 with Why Am I So Sly? under Blah Records & later teamed up with it’s founder Lee Scott for the collab effort F.D.M.B. (Flippin’ Dough Makin’ Bread) preceding Banned From the Vic. Nearly 6 months have passed since the latter & The Ghost of Ungar’s begin revealing itself.
After the “Table Talk” intro, the self-produced “Life’s a Scramble” featuring Sniff finds the pair ruggedly comparing existence to a gamble whereas “The Ghosts Comin’” talks about having nowhere to run when the specters arrive. “It’s Not a Game” featuring Sniff reunites both of them so they can jazzily make it clear this isn’t a joke to them while “Eternal Spin” by the Sohio Players featuring Sniff maintains the jazz rap vibes referencing Tony from one of my top 3 shows The Sopranos.
“Dragon Loungin’” kicks off the 2nd half talking about stacking mountains over a jazzy instrumental leading into the sample-driven “When the Chips Go Down” contains a cool Cypress Hill interpolation. “Still Nothin’” soulfully talks about not feeling anything after stealing from the rich & after “Bounty Huntin’” by the Sohio Players featuring Sniff discusses cashing bounties, “Walked Out the Vic” preceding the “Table Talk” outro feels the rain on a sunny day.
Whether it’s another EP or a sophomore effort, The Ghost of Ungar marks a drumlessly jazzy return for Sly Moon exploring the high stakes underworld of London’s casinos with a cigar smoke & cognac scented adventure accompanied by his Sohio Players cohort Salar & Sniff. Why Am I So Sly? was only the beginning of what he can do by himself, since Banned From the Vic & now this further demonstrate his evolution in terms of production & as a performer.
Score: 4/5
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