Tag: Little Brother

Phonte – “Pacific Time 2” review

Phonte is a 45 year old MC, singer/songwriter, producer & podcaster from Greensboro, North Carolina notable for being of the 3 founding members of Little Brother alongside Rapper Big Pooh & 9th Wonder as well as 1/2 of The Foreign Exchange with Nicolay. In the fall of 2011, he would break out solo with the acclaimed debut Charity Starts at Home followed by the sophomore effort No News is Good News roughly 7 a half years later. His first EP Pacific Time the next spring went full R&B/neo soul which makes sense considering that Drake was heavily influenced by Percy Miracles when he first rose to stardom, so hearing that a follow-up was coming down the pipe had me interested.

“Run for Your Life” starts us off going for a synthpop direction produced by Focus… talking about heading somewhere he can get a peace of mind whereas “Follow” featuring Carlitta Durand embraces a house flare instrumentally singing about themes of romance. “5:55am” starts the 2nd leg of the Pacific Time sequel working in a spacious atmosphere describing the vibes he’s getting in the early hours of the new day before the sun comes up & the final song “Outta My Head” featuring Carmen Rodgers hooks up a psychedelic guitar lead as they sing about being here together for a night.

The original Pacific Time almost 5 & a half years prior was more centered around R&B & neo-soul so I kinda knew what I was getting myself into for the sequel, but Pacific Time 2 takes it a step further developing further beyond of both those particular styles blending them with other sounds ranging from synthpop to house & even psychedelic rock with a couple decent guest performances joining him here & there.

Score: 3.5/5

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Little Brother – “May the Lord Watch” review

Little Brother is a reasonably beloved Durham, North Carolina group consisting of MCs Phonte & Rapper Big Pooh. They originally started out as a trio with producer 9th Wonder, their first 2 albums together The Listening & The Minstrel Show being hailed as some of the best albums of the previous decade. 9th then decided to focus on a solo career in 2007 & Little Brother dropped their 1st album as a duo Getback later that year. Then in 2010, they released their previous full-length album Leftback & officially disbanded shortly after. Almost a decade later, Phonte & Pooh have reformed LB to deliver a comeback album.

The album begins with “The Feel”, where Phonte & Pooh look back at their careers up until this point over a synth-funk instrumental from Khrysis with some luxurious piano chords. After the “A Word from the President” skit, the next song “Everything” finds the duo thinking about just that over a boom bap beat with some twinkling keys. The track “Right on Time” reflects on their rough past over a J Dilla influenced instrumental from Nottz while the song “Black Magic (Make It Better)” talks about hustling over a Focus… instrumental with some harmonious vocals.

After the “Life After Blackface” skit, the song “Goodmorning Sunshine” pays tribute to their significant others over a mellow boom bap instrumental. After the “Dyana Change My Life” skit, the song “What I Came For” talks about getting some over a cloudy boom bap beat. Then after the “Inside the Producer’s Studio” skit, the song “Sittin’ Alone” talks about being chilling at home by yourself over a blissful boom bap beat.

The song “Picture This” talks about gratefulness over a dulcet instrumental from Black Milk. After the “N****s Hollering” skit, the penultimate track “All in a Day” talks about their grind in hip hop referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson over a grand instrumental. The album then finishes with “Work Through Me”, where Phonte & Pooh going back & forth with each other over a funky boom bap beat.

Never thought this day would come, but I’m glad it did. Sure it’s only 37 & a half minutes long, but it’s like they never left. On top of Phonte & Rapper Big Pooh sounding very refreshed, Khrysis really comes through with the instrumental palate on here. My only complaint about the album is some of the skits but other than that, this is a fantastic comeback from one of the greatest groups hip hop has ever seen.

Score: 4/5