Anderson .Paak & Cordae – “Heavy is the Head” review

Oxnard, California rapper, singer/songwriter, producer, drummer & actor Anderson .Paak and Suitland, Maryland rapper & singer/songwriter Cordae joining forces for a new collaborative studio LP. Both of whom have already crossed paths on the widely praised singles “R.N.P (Rich N***a Problems)”& “2 10s” as well as establishing themselves individually over the years, but have finally decided to elevate their chemistry having EMPIRE Distribution & Mass Appeal Records distribute Heavy is the Crown through both artists’ own labels Apeshit Inc. & Hi Level Productions.

“58th Floor” kicks things off with the pair trading verses back-&-forth each other over a boom bap instrumental from J. Cole like they’re having a normal phone conversation whereas “Airbender” goes for a symphonic trap vibe for 88 seconds talking about running with the best or getting left behind like the rest of the losers. “I’m On” finds the pair getting boastful over a darker FNZ beat while “A Good Day” samples “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers & “It’s Like That” by Mariah Carey for a decent lead single themed around gratitude.

Meanwhile on “You’re Mine”, we have .Paak & Cordae over a funky 9th Wonder instrumental expressing their frustration regarding a woman they met at 3 who now has a child being treated poorly while “Days Go By” begins the 2nd half looking back at when they used to watch the time flying past them as kids. “Crown” treads the chipmunk soul waters thanks to Conductor Williams so both of them can talk about being musical royalty while “Days Like This” explains why the give God the praise they do.

“Karma Tax” winds down the last leg of the album explaining that having to pay inevitable the cost of predestination while “Helpless” talks about Cordae’s mom siding with an ex after a breakup & .Paak showing up to his child’s birthday party drunk. “Godfather II” wraps up Heavy is the Head with this orchestral boom bap outro Swizz Beatz cooked up spitting hardcore verses directed at anyone who wants to step up against them in a battle.

The split reception of Heavy is the Head’s announcement was understandable considering Anderson .Paak hasn’t put out a solo effort in almost 7 years, but I think those who enjoy his crossovers with Cordae will get a lot out of this full-length some have been clamoring for. I love that they got some other notable names involved with the production outside of Cole who all play their own roles in maintaining the east/west coast artists’ 1 of a kind chemistry & taking it a step further in refusing to have any guests joining them.

Score: 4/5

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DOMi & JD Beck – “WHO ASKED?” review

DOMi & JD Beck are a jazz fusion duo from Los Angeles, California consisting of keyboardist DOMi & drummer JD Beck. They would eventually sign a joint deal to Anderson .Paak’s own imprint Apeshit Inc. in tandem with the greatest jazz label of all-time Blue Note Records in 2022, dropping their widely lauded full-length studio debut NOT TiGHT that summer. Exactly 48 months have passed since to celebrate, it only makes sense that the pairing returned for a highly anticipated sophomore effort.

“ÈPiPHANiE” begins with this colorful 2 & a half minute compositional intro I can imagine hearing at the start of a wonderful day whereas “HAD ENOUGH” co-written by Anderson Paak. finds the pair singing about tomorrow possibly being the same despite not being too far. “EXiT” embraces a more autumnal vibe instrumentally assuring this isn’t the end & never showing signs of helplessness just before “SiLHOUETTE” asks if the fear causing doubt in your mind is worth the mind fading out.

Meanwhile on “GROWiNG OLDER”, we have DOMi & JD observing the inevitable process of aging in the midst of seasons quickly passing us by leading into “SOME THiNGS NEVER CHANGE” blissfully sings about staying frozen in place & holding steady since certain stuff remains the same. “RAiN” discussing both fear & comfort over more woodwinds combined with intense drumming until “SMALL EYES” contains a J Dilla influence showing the love they have for their dogs.

“LOVELY MASQUERADE” continues the 2nd half with one of WHO ASKED?‘s most infectious grooves singing about the possibility of being betrayed whilst the puppets dance blindly & after “PUZZLE PiECES” promises us it’s ok if life doesn’t make sense sometimes because there are moments where pieces fall apart for no reason whatsoever, “PHANTOM TREAD” endearingly pays tribute to an individual who greatly helped them at some point in their career.

The song “OUT OF SYNC” finds the pair lost inside their heads while “CONCERTiNO (FOR PiANO, DRUMS & ORCHESTRA)” hits us with another delightful instrumental piece comprised of pianos, flutes, strings & brass. My least favorite track “CLiMBiNG HiGH” awkwardly experiments with J-pop singing about the sky still being above when heading upwards for a better view & the “ÈPiLOGUE” concludes the LP in the form of this orchestral outro that I can imagine hearing in a Disney movie.

Regardless of WHO ASKED? being ranked behind NOT TiGHT in DOMi & JD Beck’s discography, it’s still an exceptional continuation of their music. They swap out the secondary influences of neo-soul & jazzstep to incorporate more elements of chamber music & classical crossover but more specifically, they’re singing a lot more than they did on their debut & I feel like they could make some improvements in that specific department going forward.

Score: 3.5/5

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Silk Sonic – “An Evening with Silk Sonic” review

Silk Sonic is a newly formed superduo consisting of Anderson .Paak & Bruno Mars. The latter coming up in 2010 by dominating the pop charts & the other beginning to turn heads by being featured all over his mentor Dr. Dre’ final album to date Compton: A Soundtrack by Dr. Dre about 5 years later. Their paths first crossed with one another during the European leg of the 24K Magic World Tour where .Paak opened up for Bruno but after announcing the superduo’s full-length debut back in February to high anticipation, they’re finally unleashing it to the world.

After the funky intro, the first song “Leave the Door Open” kicks off the album with a smooth soul banger telling their lovers they’re there for them whereas “Fly as Me” takes a funkier route & the lyrics basically speak for itself. “After Last Night” is a slow jam professing their love for the women they slept with the previous evening just before “Smokin’ Out the Window” works in some Philly soul undertones talking about a woman who belongs to everyone getting into fights with her man like it’s the WME Group-owned UFC.

Meanwhile on “Put on a Smile”, we have .Paak & Bruno coming together over some strings encouraging listeners to look forward to the better days while the song “777” serves as a groovy pimp anthem. The penultimate track “Skate” is a straight up disco tune flirting with the hottest bitches in the room & finally, “Blast Off” finishes the album off on a glossier note talking about flying to the stars.

Man I knew Silk Sonic was gonna deliver on this album, but they went even harder than I expected them to because An Evening with Silk Sonic is unquestionably the best R&B album that I’ve heard all year. They have a uniquely natural chemistry & it’s amazing how they resurrected the sounds of the 70’s soul down to Bootsy Collins “hosting” it.

Score: 4.5/5