eLZhi – “Heavy Vibrato” review

One of the greatest Detroit emcees of all-time eLZhi teaming up with Oxnard producer Oh No for his 5th LP. Rising to prominence as a member of Slum Village shortly after the departure of the late J Dilla about 2 decades ago, he eventually saw success of his own with his classic solo debut The Preface in the summer of ‘08 & was followed up 8 years later with Lead Poison. 7 Times Down, 8 Times Up is my 2nd favorite of his behind The Preface due to JR Swiftz’ stellar production as well as it’s resilience heavy concept & the last album Zhigeist produced by Georgie Anne Muldrow was a boom bap/neo-soul love letter to people of color. But with Oh No fresh off producing Berserko for Tha God Fahimthis spring, eL’s keeping it rolling on the Nature Sounds roster for Heavy Vibrato

After the “What Is Heavy Vibrato?!?” intro, the first song “Trick Dice” starts the album by mixing these vibraphones with kicks & snares detailing the type he is & that he stays on point whereas “In Your Feelings” featuring Dankery Harv gives off a suspenseful boom bap approach instrumentally blasting those who be squealing on them. After the “Doc No Check Up” interlude, “R.I.P. (Radio International Programming)” featuring Guilty Simpson continues to move forward hoping on top of pianos declaring this shit ain’t real now just before “Possessed” shifts gears into darker turf talking about not being sent to another dimension in this lifetime.

“Bishop” works in more kicks, snares & pianos admitting that he’s been feeling like it’s him against the world as of late leading into “Fireballs” keeps in to the basement musically talking about what’s exactly going to happen when you speak ill on his name. “Smoke” featuring Blu as well as Oh No himself & Phez Roc strips the drums in favor of a jazzy loop admitting that they’re from another space & time occasionally, but then “Twilight Zone” talks about opening up the doors with the keys to imagination over a fragilely calm beat. The penultimate track “Say It Don’t Spray It” draws near the end of the album by bringing it hardcore responding to shots being fired & to wrap up Heavy Vibrato, the closer “Last Nerve” admits that there are only a few things in this life that be getting on his nerves over another boom bap instrumental.

You can’t really go wrong with eLZhi’s discography since he’s been constantly putting out quality material in the last 25 years, but I happen to like Heavy Vibrato slightly more than Zhigeist. Oh No‘s production here is more jazzier in comparison to Georgia’s swapping those elements out for neo soul last time & the storytelling from the Detroit lyrical wizard is cinematic top to bottom.

Score: 4.5/5

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eLZhi – “Zhigeist” review

This is the 4th full-length album from Detroit veteran eLZhi. Rising to prominence as a member of Slum Village shortly after the departure of the late J Dilla about 2 decades ago, he eventually saw success of his own with his classic solo debut The Preface in the summer of ‘08 & was followed up 8 years later with Lead Poison. His last album 7 Times Down, 8 Times Up just celebrated it’s 1 year anniversary a few months back & that happens to be my 2nd favorite of his behind The Preface due to JR Swiftz’ stellar production as well as it’s resilience heavy concept. However, eLZhi is now enlisting Georgia Anne Muldrow behind the boards for Zhigeist.

After the “News from the Ship” intro, the first song “Amnesia” sets off the album with a peppy ballad advising not to forget that you’re loved whereas “Every Moment” goes into soulful territory talking about decorating every day in your own way. “King Shit (Say Word)” mixes some pianos & synthesizers to declare himself royalty leading into “Understanding”, which swaps out the synths for a funky bass-line talking about comprehending one another.

Meanwhile on “Already Gone”, we have eLZhi keeping the funk going describing himself as somewhat of a mystery just before “Strangeland” works in some keys & dusty drums to talk about being king. “Pros & Cons” comes through with a powerful dedication to all his peoples while the song “Nefertiti” goes into a more romantic direction & it’s just alright. But after the interlude, “Compassion” closes out the album fantastically by going back into a funkier route thanking listeners.

I’m always excited for new eLZhi given that he’s one of my top 5 emcees to ever come out of my hometown & he sure did deliver here. I find it intriguing the way Georgia blends elements of multiple genres in her production & together, they deliver a damn near perfect love letter to people of color.

Score: 4.5/5

eLZhi – “7 Times Down, 8 Times Up”

eLZhi is a 42 year old MC from Detroit, Michigan rising to prominence as a member of Slum Village shortly after the departure of J Dilla in 2002. Fast forward to 2008: His solo debut The Preface would go on to be a hometown classic & was followed up 8 years later with Lead Poison. Last we heard from eLZhi was in 2018 when he formed Jericho Jackson with Khrysis & dropped their critically acclaimed self-titled debut that same year but almost 3 years later, eLZhi is returning with JR Swiftz for his 3rd full-length album.

After the “Foolish” intro, the first song “Smoke & Mirrors” talks about seeing through the lies over a luxurious instrumental while the next track “EarlyBird NightOwl” talks about how they can’t bar him to death & likening himself to a fighter signed to the Endeavor Group Holdings-owned UFC over a cloudy boom bap beat. The song “Hot Winter Cold Summer” talks about being a problem over a euphoric instrumental while the track “Light 1 Write 1” over a boom bap beat with a harp & occasional background vocals.

The song “Ferndale” talks about memories with a significant other over a slow instrumental while the track “Guns & Boats” with Fes Roc sees the 2 painting vivid street imagery over an atmospheric beat. The song “THUGGed Out Zombies” talks about racial injustice over a rock-influenced instrumental while the track “Potential” talks about how he wishes they could’ve seen that in him over a punchy beat. The song “G.O.D. (Gold, Ore & Diamonds)” talks about materialism over a meditative instrumental while the penultimate track “Master Class” talks about the lyrical level that he’s on over an eerie beat. The album finishes off with “JASON”, where eLZhi analyzes himself over a droney instrumental.

Man, this is on par with The Preface for his magnum opus & one of the greatest albums I’ve heard all year. The cohesion is off the charts, JR Swiftz kills it behind the boards, the themes of resilience being presented in eLZhi’s lyrics throughout sure need to be heard after all we’ve been through in 2020.

Score: 4.5/5

Jericho Jackson – Self-titled review

Jericho Jackson is a duo consisting of New Jersey producer Khrysis & renown Detroit MC eLZhi. Both members gave been in the game for a hot minute now, but they formed Jericho Jackson together very recently & this is their full-length debut. After the “World of Illusion” intro, we dive into the first song “Overthinking”. Here, eLZhi touches down on just that over a settle instrumental. The track “Self Made” talks about eL’s success over a jazzy boom bap beat & the song “Cuffin’ Season” gets conscious over a boom bap beat with a laidback guitar in the background. The song “17” vividly tells the story of an unnamed 17 year old going down the dark path & I was surprised to hear Khrysis sample “Deep Down Body Thurst” off of N*E*R*D’s new album NO_ONE EVER REALLY DIES.

The track “F.R.I.E.N.D.S” vents about needing true friends over a gloomy beat while the song “To Do List” talks about the things he feels he was set out to do & I love the strings on here. The track “Talkin’ ‘Bout” goes at the fakes & the Khrysis verse at the beginning was surprising yet super dope. The song “Listen” gets romantic over a smooth instrumental & the penultimate track “Breguets” gets braggadocious about eLZhi’s rapping prowess over a jazzy beat. The album then closes perfectly with “Thank You”, where eLZhi gets grateful for his success over a soulful boom bap beat.

Overall, this was just as fantastic as I thought it would be. Both eLZhi & Khrysis show quite a bit of chemistry from the beautiful production to the ever so top notch lyricism. Hopefully, we get a follow up at some point in the future

Score: 4/5