Dr. Syntax – “P Reg Hondas” review

Manchester, England, United Kingdom emcee Dr. Syntax returning after 3 years for his 10th studio LP. Known for co-fronting The Mouse Outfit, he would go on to drop his solo debut Self Taught in 2003 followed by 8 more full-lengths along with a mixtape & 4 extended plays. Personal favorites include the Pitch 92-produced Evidence, Killer Combo!, Elaborate Anoraks, Let’s Talk & Wallop. Coming off Crumbs back in 2021 however, I was completely supportive of Pete Cannon returning behind the boards for P Reg Hondas.

After the intro, “Control” begins with an intro reminiscent of the g-funk era talking about losing all jurisdiction once this sound hits the speakers whereas “Buffet” takes the trap route instrumentally confessing his destructive instincts. “Robot Problem” might be my favorite song here addressing the concerns of automatons possibly replacing humanity due to developments in AI technology over a boom bap beat just before “Maintain” discusses not buckling under pressure.

“Live in Stereo Sound” wraps up the 1st act of P Reg Hondas talking about turning venues into burial grounds whenever they pop out rockin’ shows while “That’s Your Lot” featuring Enlxsh kicking off the 2nd half linking up so they can talk about giving it your all when opportunity knocks at the door. “Heaven Above” gives off some soulfully funky vibes explaining how no one’s promised the pearly gates up in the sky while “Same Page” featuring Binbag Wisdom advises to move the way one already is.

The song “Rush” comes through with a psychedelic atmosphere talking about everyone nowadays always being in such a hurry & people consequently not seeing things clearly because of it while “Cool Off” aptly tries to calm down anyone his way who seems livid. “Benny Benny Benny” hooks up a boom bap instrumental talking about being the guy who’ll go distances others won’t & the closer “Subcultures Again” concludes the album in the form of a delightful successor to a track off Self Taught.

As much as I’d love for Dr. Syntax to hunker down with Pitch 92 throughout the duration of an entire LP considering it’ll be almost a decade since Evidence, I’d still consider P Reg Hondas an exciting comeback for him nevertheless & one I’d put above Crumbs. Both guests had moderate performances, but it’s still exciting to hear the chemistry between Syntax’ lyricism & Pete Cannon’s production grow this much in the span of 10 years.

Score: 4/5

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Dr. Syntax – “Wallop” review

London, England, United Kingdom producer Pete Cannon handling the beats for Manchester emcee Dr. Syntax’ 7th studio LP. Notable for co-fronting The Mouse Outfit, the latter made his solo debut Self Taught in 2003 followed by 5 more full-lengths along with a mixtape & 4 extended plays. Personal favorites include the Pitch 92-produced Evidence, Killer Combo!, Elaborate Anoraks & Let’s Talk. All of which Pete Cannon solely produced, so him coming back behind the boards for Wallop wasn’t too much of a shock.

“Fine” begins talking about being content with the way everything’s going over a boom bap instrumental whereas “Right About Now” featuring Joe Burn aggressively finds the pair getting impulsive on top of this UK drill beat. “Life Force” brings the kicks & snares back in effect suggesting those on the same vibe as him are either reading his thoughts or sharing his exact entity prior to “Classic in the Making” jazzily talking about the chemistry he & Pete have.

Illaman saves my favorite guest verse for “Differently”, discussing how both of them are unique beasts of their own category just before the dance-inspired “Body” kicks off the 2nd half making a bunch of references to the human anatomy for 109 seconds. “Mayhem” continues from there boasting jewels & a group of individuals wilding out for the night finding out the hard way while “Do What U Like” featuring Dubbul O talks about engaging in things that bring us joy.

“Somnambulant” featuring Riksi decently links up so they can get on their A-game & seizing the day regardless of whether it’s been good or bad while “Killah” goes for an EDM direction advising any opponent who wants to step up in a battle to improve their game considering that he’ll send muhfuckas back to school. The title track appropriately ties up all loose ends with a somber trap mood instrumentally talking about the impossibility of being unimpressed by what they’re doing.

Not only does Pete Cannon’s production feel varied throughout the half hour compared to what he & Dr. Syntax have previously done, but so does the subject matter & that’s an important factor in what makes Wallop a suitable experience regardless of the fact they’ve already given us 3 consecutive bangers over the course of 5 years. I however would disagree with putting Let’s Talk above it & the features occasionally stood out.

Score: 3.5/5

Dr. Syntax – “Let’s Talk” review

This is the 6th studio LP from Manchester, England, United Kingdom emcee Dr. Syntax notable for co-fronting The Mouse Outfit. Making his solo debut in 2003 with Self Taught, he would go on top follow it up with 4 more full-lengths along with a mixtape & 3 extended plays. Personal favorites include the Pitch 92-produced Evidence as well as Killer Combo! & Elaborate Anoraks. The latter of 2 where both solely produced by Pete Cannon, who’s looking to go for a 3-peat with Let’s Talk.

“Nuggets” sets up shop with a boom bap intro explaining that he gets a kick outta what Pete can do behind the boards whereas “Pearls of Wisdom” throws it back to the days of the early 90s hip hop instrumentally spitting wise lyricism. “Baby Talk” explains that people will always have an animal instinct of sorts inside them no matter how older we get leading into “Lose My Shirt” treads the jazzy boom bap waters talking about trying to stay levelheaded.

Gardna pops out for “Sock It to ‘Em” combining a horn & some hi-hats encouraging people to find out why they need to be penalized just before “Limitless” embraces a summery sound stating the ridiculousness of people considering his music to lack any ambition. “Growing Pains” returns to the boom bap tackling the concept of aging until the title track properly reaches the midway point of Let’s Talk explaining that our lives could become much simpler if we all set ourselves free.

“My Living” featuring Illaman marks the final & strongest guest appearance of the 2 talking about how neither of them can slow down at this point while “Lies Upon Lies” dustily observes the difficulty of making sense of what you know when it’s all being spoonfed to you. “One of the Illest” spends a few minutes confidently talking about ranking amongst the greats over intense drumming while “Ice Cold” jazzily admitting to be at this age in his lifetime.

As for “Part of the Journey”, we get more jazz influences from the saxophones to the pianos getting in his grown man bag lyrically while “Come Around” gets optimistic when things aren’t necessarily going the way he hopes. “Love Thing” distinctly breaks down all the different types of love over a sample-woven boom bap instrumental but after the “Toxic Love” skit, “Just 1 More” spends the remaining 103 seconds of Let’s Talk talking about being the only one to call shots.

Killer Combo! to me was when Dr. Syntax began to deliver his strongest material individually which Evidence & Elaborate Anoraks further cemented, so I didn’t have any concerns regarding Let’s Talk although I’d think most who were divided towards The Tonic in 2016 will likely enjoy the successor more. Pete Cannon diversifying his production feels refreshing compared to the last couple albums, making more room for Syntax to lay out sharp bars.

Score: 4/5