J. Michael Phillips & Yelawolf – “Whiskey & Roses” review

Toledo, Ohio singer/songwriter J. Michael Phillips joining Alabama rapper, singer/songwriter, producer, fashion designer & entrepreneur Yelawolf for a new collaborative album. One of whom is an urban country artist with only 1 LP of his own under his belt thus far & the other used to be signed to Eminem’s own Interscope Records imprint Shady Records a decade ago. Tony Martinez put out his own debut last summer Everything West introducing an outlaw country style to Slumerican Records & the producer of that is teaming with his newest signing for Whiskey & Roses.

“Helping Hand” throws it back to the 80s new wave & soft rock era instrumentally so both of them can talk about being there for one another whereas “I Swear” marks the first of 3 Yelawolf solo tracks throwing it back to the Arena Rap era suggesting to meet him at the church since he’s no longer afraid of death. “Amnesia” & “Falling” continue the themes of love speaking on a rough breakup during the first & continuously falling for their new partners on the other.

Reaching the halfway point, “Honey Hole” finds both parties sharing verses agin getting on their country shit together just before “Giddy Up” switches it up since Catfish Billy takes on the role of a feature letting J. Michael shine more talking about 2-faced people. “Searching for Heaven” speaks on finding Satan during their journey of seeking the pearly gates while “Yay Yay Yay” featuring Struggle Jennings finds the trio on some trap shit dropping hardcore lyrics.

“Big Trucks” sets Whiskey & Roses’ final minutes off revisiting the structural of “Giddy Up” except Yelawolf’s verse on here in comparison to that previous song feels garishly half-baked prior to “All I Ever Seen” saving J. Michael Phillips’ only solo cut for last embracing a traditional country vibe singing about not forgetting the nightmares & rising above the depths of where he was in life to live his dreams.

For clarification: I firmly believe that J. Michael’s upcoming sophomore effort & Slumerican debut will capitalize on his artistic potential much like Everywhere West did 11 months ago, but Whiskey & Roses would’ve made a better EP than a full-length because of everyone feeling like guests on their own project much like Drake & 21 Savage’s collab album Her Loss or the new Cactus Jack Records compilation Jackboys II.

Score: 2.5/5

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Tony Martinez – “Everywhere West” review

Tony Martinez is a 30 year old singer/songwriter, guitarist & multi-instrumentalist from Nashville, Tennessee notable for being the son of Rick Martinez who taught him how to play guitar & to whom this full-length debut album of his is dedicated to. He later met Nashville superstar & former Shady Records/Interscope artist Yelawolf at one of his bar gigs, developing a friendship to the point where Catfish Billy officially signed Tony to his independent label Slumerican Records & helped him produce Everywhere West.

“Ain’t Nothin’ Gonna Slow Me Down” proves to be an exceptional introduction from the outlaw country Slumerican shitizen singing that absolutely nothing’s gonna stop him or get in his way whereas “Someone Else” has a country/southern rock flare asking this individual when did they become so blind to the point where they lost sight of themselves. “Crazy” featuring Yelawolf gives off a more simpler country rock vibe finding Tony & his mentor asking their romantic partners why they have to be insane & the Merle Haggard-influenced “White Label Lies” goes for an acoustic direction criticizing a liquor bottle with a white label that said ‘Truth’ on it.

The introspection gets turned up to 11 with “I’ve Lost More (Than What I’ve Got Today)” continuing the country rock influences singing about the hardships he’s faced just before “Try” goes bare acoustics passionately blaming himself for losing an ex-girlfriend of his. “Believe I’ll Be Leavin’” has a summertime atmosphere that I really enjoy talking about gettin’ done with the show & the party & going back to the hotel alone & calling your significant other way too late time after time after time & the toll it takes on an already rocky relationship, but then “Back to the Wall” hooks up crooning background vocals & guitars fighting the good fight.

“Wrong Like the Weatherman” brings the country rock influences back owning up to being wrong in the past much like an actual weatherman while the warm, catchy “See You on Broadway” written by Yelawolf’s ex-wife Fefe Dobson sings about a woman he knows who always comes around. The song “Alabaster Rose” maintains the country rock sound discussing a lil care & kindness going a long way being all he ever wanted while the title track that Waylon Jennings almost recorded pays homage to Marty Robbins. The instrumental on the closer “Won’t Say No to You” feels like some funky shit brought back from the early 1970s telling his partner he can’t say no to her.

Everywhere West is as much Martinez’s legacy as it is his father’s chronicling all phases of the incredible journey he’s been on & certainly reveals that Tony has a bright future ahead of him in the outlaw country scene joining Johnny Cash’s latest posthumous effort Songwriter, Beyoncé’s 2nd act of her ongoing trilogy Cowboy Carter or even Willie Nelson’s best late career album The Border as some of the best country I’ve heard this year as opposed to Post Malone’s latest album F-1,000,000,000,000. All 13 songs evoke emotions in listeners so they know they’re not alone in whatever they are facing in life giving us a look through his battles with NMOSD & an opioid addiction in addition to Yelawolf honing in on his sound with the production.

Score: 4/5

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Yelawolf – “War Story” review

Alabama rapper, singer/songwriter, producer, fashion designer & entrepreneur Yelawolf returning for a double disc 9th LP. Coming up as a contestant on The Road to Stardom in 2005, his full-length debut album Creekwater that same year & didn’t catch the mainstream’s attention until New Year’s Day 2010 off the strength of his 4th mixtape Trunk Muzik. This caught the attention of Detroit icon Eminem, who signed Catfish Billy to his Interscope Records imprint Shady Records the following year. Yelawolf went on to release 4 albums under his contract with Slim, leaving in Spring 2019 to focus on continuing to build his own label Slumerican Records. Shooter Jennings helped him go country rock on Sometimes Y last time we heard from the Slumerican Shitizen couple years ago & is showing his artistic range altogether for War Story, a sequel to Love Story.

“Trailer in the Sky” featuring Jelly Roll on the hook begins Disc 1: Michael Wayne with a moody rap cut produced by Malay hoping to get high one day whereas “Glasses Up” kinda has a syrupy tone instrumentally talking about never stepping away from music anytime soon. “Make You Love Me” has a funkier flare to the beat this time around, singing about a romantic interest that caught his eye while “Juliana” solemnly tells the titular character who bites like a piranha that she needs to get a grip & looking to get ahead of her.

On the other hand, “Marijuana” works in some hair-raising piano chords likening his life as an artist being the war of a soldier leading into “Goodbye Mornin’” taking the dark boom bap route welcoming the evening & talking about LSD being a Hell of a drug as it is. “Cars” works in some militant drums expressing his desire for fancier whips prior to “Lookin’ Over” featuring DJ Paul going country rap to talk about being watched over when times get rough.

“Farewell” featuring Struggle Jennings goes for a triumphant trap vibe advising to tell the truth when you speak of them promising to return home with dinner on their backs ahead of the fierily passionate “Talkin’” addressing those who only listen when they’re speaking themselves. “Cookin’ Cocaine” psychedelically makes magic over holy water & “Legend” ends the Michael Wayne portion explaining how legends are made.

To start Disc 2: Trunk Muzik 4ever, the first song “New Me” has this bouncy trap vibe to it thanks to WLPWR going back to his old ways just before “Bad News” featuring Caskey menacingly cautions that going against them won’t end well. “Box Chevy VIII” featuring Bub Styles & Killer Mike is the 8th installment of Yelawolf’s well-known series of tracks showing his love for Chevrolets, but then “Another Drink” goes rap rock to talk about consuming alcohol.

“Barn Fire” embraces the trap metal sound to get in his Catfish Billy bag while “Flashlight” takes on a more haunting atmosphere in favor of turning pain into art illuminating his heart similarly to the titular object. “Bang Bang Bobby” jumps over pianos explaining that everyone has an uncle, cousin or a wild ass friend you can’t do shit with while the synth-driven “Tonight” talks about being a traveling spirit.

Meanwhile on “Everything”, we have Yelawolf returning to the boom bap boasting that he has it all while the electronic-infused “Bad Motherfucker” talks about this woman having a perfect body & knowing how to wear it. The synth-trap banger “Work” tackles his genius while the distorted country rap “Ticket” nears the end of War Story forever chasing the dream. “Put ‘Em Up” rowdily ends the LP explaining Trunk Muzik don’t quit.

Regardless of what heads think of the guy, Yelawolf surely has more than enough versatility to pull off a double album & gave us a worthy sequel to his Shady Records sophomore effort celebrating it’s 10-year anniversary next spring. The first disc Michael Wayne has to be amongst the most introspectively intimate music of his career yet & the other Trunk Muzik 4ever continues the legacy of the Trunk Muzik series that resonate with the signature style that fans have come to love.

Score: 4/5

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Yelawolf – “Sometimes Y” review

Yelawolf is a 42 year old rapper, singer/songwriter, fashion designer & entrepreneur from Gadsden, Alabama who came up as a contestant on The Road to Stardom in 2005. His debut album Creekwater that same year, but didn’t catch the mainstream’s attention until New Year’s Day 2010 off the strength of his 4th mixtape Trunk Muzik. This caught the attention of Detroit icon Eminem, who signed Catfish Billy to his Interscope Records imprint Shady Records the following year. Yelawolf went on to release 4 albums under his contract with Slim, leaving in Spring 2019 to focus on continuing to build his own label Slumerican Records. He’s gone rogue since dropping a different project every week throughout last April, but is re-emerging with his 8th full-length album produced entirely by Shooter Jennings.

The title track is a hard rock flavored opener talking about being battle ready whereas “Hole in My Head” goes into more acoustic territory touching down on alcoholism. “Rock & Roll Baby” has a bit of a Lynyrd Skynyrd influence to it telling the story of a woman who’ll be heart broke by the sunlight, but then “Make Me a Believer” pulls from Ric Ocasek talking about self worth. Meanwhile on “Shoestring”, we have Yelawolf returning into acoustic turf detailing the tale of him barely missing bus call just before “Radio” talks about how pretty this chick used to be before she did coke & the riff has this rebellious feeling to it.

“Jump Out the Window” goes into a more cheerful direction encouraging the listener that everything’s possible, but then the song “Catch You on the Other Side” reveals itself to be a piano ballad pondering where he went wrong. The penultimate track “Fucked Up Day” has crescendoing instrumental talking about a shitty day in the neighborhood & “Moonshiner’s Run” ends the album with an ass-kicking dedication to all the moonshine makers out there.

A lot of genre-crossovers can fall flat on their faces like Rebirth & Supermarket, but I’m actually surprised at how much I liked a good portion of Sometimes Y. I really admire how Yelawolf managed to stick to a southern rock style without trying too hard to appeal to a radio market that doesn’t exist & there really couldn’t have been a better producer choice than Shooter Jennings because he really homes in on that sound pretty well.

Score: 3.5/5

Yelawolf – “Mud Mouth” review

This is the 7th full-length outing from Alabama rapper, singer/songwriter, fashion designer & entrepreneur Yelawolf. Originally getting his name out there 16 years ago by appearing on The Road to Stardom along with the mediocre debut album Creekwater, it wasn’t until the 2010s where Catfish Billy got his big break by dropping his 4th mixtape Trunk Muzik & later going on to sign a 4-album deal with the Eminem-owned Interscope Records imprint Shady Records. Once his contract was fulfilled, Yelawolf has since been focusing more on his own label Slumerican Records & celebrated his newfound independence by dropping his last album Ghetto Cowboy in late 2019. But the dude has been on a roll as far as 2021 goes by putting out a collab album with Caskey in February & a total of 3 EPs throughout this past month (one of them being a collaborative effort with RiFF RAFF) leading up to Mud Mouth.

The opener “Light as a Feather” has these unexpected cricket noises as Yelawolf talks about feeling better than ever before incorporating an organ & bass guitar to declare himself a bad motherfucker on the next song “Oh No”. “Bounce” is an in-your-face club banger that I don’t mind up until the millennial whoops that pop up during the hook referencing the inaugural IWGPヘビー級王座, former 12-time WWE world champion, WWE tag team champion & 2-time WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan ahead of getting a vivid depiction of him selling drugs behind a gas station on the rap rock flavored-“Conoco”.

The track “Dope” melodically brags over an icy piano instrumental the Shawty Fatt tribute “Rocks at Your Window” is an inferior version of “Ride or Die” off Trial by Fire. Catfish Billy later picks things back up by delivering motivation on the acoustic-backed “Hillbilly Einstein” before enlisting Waylon & Willie for the electro-trap banger “Money” to declare that they don’t give a fuck about wealth.

After the “Losers Win Again” interlude, Yelawolf gets back on the country tip for the summery “Dog House” while he goes on about returning from the road on the stripped-back “Homeward Bound”.The song “Aquanet” is an odd tribute to the hair spray of the same name despite the luxurious instrumental & for the last taste of hip hop on the album, we go back into a more rap rock direction for the braggadocious “Hot”. As for the closer, the title track is a blues-sounding cut about being a product of the south.

Mile 0 is my favorite project that Yelawolf has dropped throughout the month, but this main course is pretty enjoyable. Other than a few lulls throughout the 1 hour run, it’s a solid return to the country/rock influences that began on Love Story & what other producer could’ve honed in on that sound than Jim Jonsin?

Score: 3.5/5

Yelawolf – “Mile 0” review

Yelawolf is a 41 year old rapper, singer/songwriter, fashion designer & entrepreneur from Gassen, Alabama coming up on the scene as a contender on The Road to Stardom in 2005. His debut album Creekwater that same year, but didn’t catch the mainstream’s attention until New Year’s Day 2010 off the strength of his 4th mixtape Trunk Muzik. This caught the attention of Detroit icon Eminem, who signed Catfish Billy to his Interscope Records imprint Shady Records the following year. Yelawolf went on to release 4 albums under his contract with Slim, leaving in Spring 2019 to focus on continuing to build his own label Slumerican Records. Dude’s been staying busy all month by dropping a project damn near each week & to come fresh off his latest EP Slumafia produced entirely by DJ Paul, we’re being treated to another EP produced entirely by DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill fame.

“W.T.F. (What the Fuck?)” kicks the whole thing off by Yelawolf depicting his seriousness on top of an string-laced boom bap beat & the next song “Geeyat Damnit” featuring Jelly Roll recaptures that sound except with a piano being weaved in as he spits about how he’s “getting it”. B-Real hops aboard the cavernous, money-stacking anthem “Hand Over Fist” in a natural fashion before diving into the cinematic, rags-to-riches story “Harvest” featuring Struggle Jennings.

“The Catch” is a breezy, romantic boom bap track while Caskey of course joins Catfish Billy for the rich tribute to success that is “Matador”. The song “Flea Market” with Bub Styles is oxymoron giving that they’re rapping about keeping it g over a peaceful instrumental, but then longtime collaborator DJ Paul jumps on the mic accompanied by Del the Funky Homosapien of all people come together to talk about desired-reclusiveness for the spacey yet jazzy “Privacy”. As for the closer “Dust Broom”, I do appreciate it’s wretched tone despite Christian Rose & Sam Lee having the weakest features on the whole project.

Of all the projects Yelawolf has dropped in 2021 so far, I genuinely don’t know if anything can top Mile 0. Everything about it is a welcoming detour from what you’d expect from him in terms of his wise lyrics & the lo-fi sound DJ Muggs shoots for. Will I be proven wrong when Mud Mouth drops next Friday? Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z.

Score: 4/5

Yelawolf – “Slumafia” review

This is the 6th EP from Alabama rapper, singer/songwriter, fashion designer & entrepreneur Yelawolf. Coming up in 2005 off the mediocre debut album Creekwater, it wouldn’t be until 5 years later when Catfish Billy caught the mainstream’s attention off the strength of his 4th mixtape Trunk Muzik before signing to Shady Records in 2011. After dropping a total of 4 albums under the Eminem-owned Interscope Records imprint, he fulfilled his contract just a couple years ago to focus on Slumerican Records & dropped his 6th full-length effort Ghetto Cowboy a little over 8 months later. But to continue his streak of dropping a project every week for this entire month, Yelawolf is hooking back up with longtime collaborator DJ Paul for Slumafia.

“Trans Am” is a gritty opener as Catfish Billy spits about going from the gutter to being rich over some hi-hats & plinky keys, but then Paul jumps on the next cut “Tote the Bag” to charismatically boast on top of a shadowy instrumental. The track “Lucchese” is a devilishly-produced killer anthem that I would’ve enjoyed more without the Badd Wolf feature referencing 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 16-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 6-time WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE tag team champion & 9-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair whereas “Still the Man” bigs himself up & the beat on here is probably the darkest on the entire EP.

Meanwhile, “Don’t Need a Cup” serves as a slowed-down ode to his Creekwater whiskey brand & even though I understand that the title track is meant to be a Slumerican/Three 6 crossover, the only features that captivated me were Gangsta Boo & the Seed of 6 because Big Henri’s verse was ok & BRAY’s was hands down the weakest. “Super Geek” is a bass-heavy crowd mover about only giving a fuck once in his life & “Head Banger” is an explosive closer that sounds like it could’ve been on Yelawolf Blacksheep. I mean PRETTY SHY’s verse at the start is uneventful, but Caskey kills his in the middle.

Of all of the projects Yelawolf has dropped in 2021, I’d have to say Slumafia is my favorite thus far. Paul’s signature sound is always great to hear & it definitely brings some of the best out of Catfish Billy, but my biggest problem that I had with TURQUOiSE TORNADO makes it’s way onto here: the features.

Score: 3.5/5

RiFF RAFF & Yelawolf – “TURQUOiSE TORNADO” review

This is a brand new collaborative EP between Houston, Texas rapper RiFF RAFF along with Gadsen, Alabama rapper, singer/songwriter, fashion designer & entrepreneur Yelawolf. Both of whom came up in 2011, except one of them was a former reality star & the other being an Eminem protege. Even though Catfish Billy saw much success with Shady Records (most notably the albums Radioactive: Amazing & Mystifying Chemical Tricks as well as Love Story & Trial by Fire), it wasn’t until 2014 when JODY HiGHROLLER dropped his full-length debut NEON iCON under Mad Decent. Their paths first crossed last summer when Yelawolf was featured on RiFF RAFF’s previous album VåNiLLå GöRiLLå but they’re trying to take it to the next level by joining forces for TURQUOiSE TORNADO.

“MOSSY OAK” is an ass-kicking opener as both parties express their fondness for the outdoor lifestyle company of the same name & the DJ Paul instrumental is the epitome of evil. The next track “HUMAN LAMBORGHiNi” has a plinky trap instrumental with the duo comparing themselves to the titular luxury car, but the Danny Swift verse is wack & Peso Peso’s verse at the beginning of “MONCLER JACKET” is no better. Except on here, he joins RiFF RAFF & Yelawolf to talk about making $1M over some hi-hats & a slick bass-line.

The song “ALCOHOL & WEED” is of course a party anthem with a Struggle Jennings verse that makes up for the features we heard on the last 2 cuts & an atmospheric trap instrumental whereas the title track taps in Paul Wall to freestyle about materialism with a somewhat quirky beat. The penultimate track is a mediocre 4th installment to “TiP TOE WiNG iN MY JAWWDiNZ” with an awkward 80’s synth-wave instrumental but then the EP finishes off strong with “MiLLiON DOLLAR MULLET”, which contains some of the flashiest lyricism on the entire thing & the Ronny J production is so gargantuan.

Even though I like TURQUOiSE TORNADO more than I did Yelawolf Blacksheep, it isn’t by a whole lot. I think Yelawolf has a much better chemistry with RiFF RAFF than he did with Caskey, but they kinda overdid it on the features & they can be hit or miss.

Score: 3/5

Yelawolf & Caskey – “Yelawolf Blacksheep” review

This is the brand new collaborative album from Alabama rapper, singer/songwriter, producer, fashion designer & entrepreneur Yelawolf as well as Floridian rapper Caskey. The pair have done songs together in the past such as “No Such Thing as Free” off of Trunk Muzik III & “Remember” off of Black Sheep 4 but to kick off their 2021, the duo are coming out of the woodwork with Yelawolf Blacksheep.

The album kicks off with “Just the Intro”, where Yelawolf & Caskey are going back & forth with one another for 4 minute straight over a victorious beat. The next song “Daytona” talks about how you can’t slow them down over a dim trap instrumental whereas the track “Been a Problem” talks about their stronghold on the rap game over some heavy bass & rattling hi-hats. The song “Billy & the Purple Datson” talks about doing what they have to in order to make that money over an unhinged beat while the track “Turn Up in Tijuana” talks about partying over a generic trap instrumental.

The song “Cookies” with Cub da Cookup Boss finds the trio talking about ride or die bitches over a sorrowful beat & then there’s the mediocre remix to “McQueen Fiend” off of Caskey’s previous album I Changed. The song “Open” talks about still being “open” after pulling out over a Three 6 Mafia-type beat while the track “C’est La Vie” talks about naysayers over a harp-tinged instrumental. The penultimate track “Tat Shop” talks about getting skulls inked on them for the haters over a trap beat with a cool flute incorporation & the fallen homies, but then the closer “$1M Deal” talks about being free from Shady Records & Cash Money Records respectively over a misty instrumental.

Coming away from this album, my feelings on it are mixed. I think the production plays well to both rappers’ respective sounds, but the chemistry is kinda odd considering that Yelawolf is outrapping Caskey on just about every joint.

Score: 2.5/5

Yelawolf – “Ghetto Cowboy” review

Yelawolf is a 39 year old rapper, singer & producer from Gadsden, Alabama who first came onto the scene in 2005 with an honestly mediocre debut album Creekwater. He eventually broke out onto the mainstream in 2010 with his Trunk Muzik mixtape & eventually signed to Shady Records/Interscope Records & releasing his sophomore album Radioactive: Amazing & Mystifying Chemical Tricks the following year. A focused grouped, yet still fun major label debut. He then returned in 2015 with Love Story, where he started to incorporate country & rock music into his style. But when his childhood friend Shawty Fatt passed away at the tail-end of 2016, it caused him to disappear from the scene for a while. The man fortunately returned with Trial by Fire, a self-produced & refined sequel to Love Story. Yelawolf just fulfilled his contract with Shady/Interscope this past March with Trunk Muzik III & a little over 7 months later, we’re now getting his 6th full-length album.

After the “Mama Wolf” intro, we go into the first song “Unnatural Born Killer”. Where Yela claims himself as just that over an abrasive instrumental. The track “Opie Taylor” finds Catfish Billy comparing himself to the famous Ron Howard character of the same name over a relaxing instrumental from DJ Klever while “Box Chevy VII” is another banging installment of Yelawolf’s titular song series.

The song “Here I Am” talks about whooping someones ass referencing Facebook founder & Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg over a sweet guitar line while the track “Still Ridin’” talks about leaving Shady/Interscope over a funky bass-line & some keys. The song “Lightning” tells the story of Tommy over a horror-esque instrumental while the track “Renegades” is taken off of Yelawolf’s 2016 EP H.O.T.E.L. (House Of The Endless Life).

The song “So Long” is a decent country rap anthem about relationship issues while the track “You & Me” is a cool follow-up. After the DJ Paul skit, he actually gets with Yelawolf on “Country Rich” to talk about being a rich hip hop artist from the south over an acoustic guitar. The penultimate track “Keep on Rollin’” with Big Henry & Cub da CookUpBoss is an average sequel to the song they did on Trunk Muzik III. The album then finishes off with the titular song, where Yelawolf declares himself as such over a druggy beat.

For this being his first release off Shady/Interscope, I enjoy this. It’s like a mixture between the Trunk Muzik era as well as the Love Story & Trial by Fire eras. If this is the road he wants to keep traveling down in the future, then I’m all for it.

Score: 3.5/5