Album Review: Analyrical – First Date (2009)
Rating: 3 out of 5 Potholes
When it comes to a musical presence in Minnesota, people would usually resort to the Purple One as being the only musical presence from the area. Well, more than celebrating the presence of Brett Farve with the Vikings, Minnesota can also be excited about a hot independent hip-hop music scene that’s produced great producers and emcees like M.anifest as well as Analyrical as he drops his latest project First Date.
Usually when being assigned artists you’re not aware of, there’s a sense of hesitation that takes over. Luckily for me, my fears were nipped in the bud as Analyrical impressed with my first listen.
Instantly impressive were songs like “Pre-Game” and “Count Up” which, along with the other cuts on here, were produced by fellow talented Minnesota acts. That means you hear beats from Arsenic, Ecid, Span Phly, and Phingaz, of the Background Noise Crew. And, thankfully, Analyrical does the backdrops justice. His style is a hybrid of battle raps with boom-bap backdrops. To be more precise, his delivery can be compared to sounding more like a Chino XL over a Jay-Z. Also, the comparisons to Atmosphere and the Rhymesayers roster is going to be difficult to escape.
Other moments of excellent indie-hip-hop are heard on songs like “Sky Is Burning”, which demonstrates an excellent use of a vocal sample and gradual progression of layered samples. In a digital hip-hop climate, indie artists can usually get caught up in being disposable, so it’s refreshing to hear that time was invested in this effort.
Ultimately the production is one of the key elements of the project. And picking proper beats isn’t something that all emcees can say they have an ear for. Insert Nas or Canibus comments here. To say that Analyrical is overshadowed by the production will be too harsh, but the production is playing the role of Lebron James on this project. In particular, the jazz-inspired tracks are perfect for fans of Native Tongues inspired music, such as “66612”. But the project isn’t without its flaws.
Sometimes the choruses may seem to go a bit on the tedious side on some of the tracks, but other than that, it’s a minor flaw in an offering that will make me check him out again in the near future. If there’s attention that needs to be paid to Minnesota artists, it’s hard to imagine that Analyrical wouldn’t be on the short list of people to peep. Don’t say I didn’t tell you.
