Album Review: Georgia Anne Muldrow Presents Ms. One and the Gang (2009)
Rating: 3 out of 5 Potholes
Why there aren’t more strong women in hip hop is a persistent question for me. Muldrow, under the alias of Ms. One, picks up the torch from Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu and runs with it straight through the gateway of contemporary, experimental LA-style production (see Madlib and Flying Lotus)—blending lilting drum patterns with elements of free jazz, funk, soul and hip hop into something with a lot of flavor, and a blatant disregard for genre labels.
Muldrow brings out a handful of overground (Black Milk, Big Pooh, Stacy Epps) and underground (Illicit Child, Eagle Nebula, Ms. Dezy) guests with varied results. Hot tracks like “2 MC” (I wish it was a verse longer) and “Sundaze” (21st Century G-Funk church music that’ll have you shouting ‘Allelujah’) shine even brighter against the foil of tracks like “Mr. President” (a loose Bush-era tirade that seems dated against last year’s bumper crop of Obama songs), and “Dearest Daddy” (where Ms. Dezy could use a little more polish on her verse and delivery, but can’t be knocked for lacking authenticity).
The Langston Hughes-inspired “My Life” featuring Jimetta Rose has classic Stones Throw style all over it—the bubbling bassline and the steady-yet-curious drums topped with a vocalist just getting open—and it’s highlights like this that will keep listeners tuned in over the course of Muldrow’s Lewis and Clark journey across sounds and styles.
The album’s inconsistencies are the price paid for exploration. Muldrow finds the boundaries of urban music and then stomps all over them. Sometimes it works better than others, but her refusal to play by the rules is a noble pursuit in and of itself. Tracks like “Head of My Soul”, featuring spoken word from Maryetta Moore, shows Muldrow experimenting for experimentation’s sake, an innate jazz virtue that she embraces effortlessly.
The piece of thread that will lead listeners back from the depths of her musical labyrinth is Muldrow’s production, which is as skillfully varied to say the least. From straight-forward hip hop to loose, beautiful jazz, the beats are well-crafted and manage to blend cleverly hidden samples with hand-rolled synth lines, the sum of which is much greater than it’s parts—just like the album. While Ms. One and the Gang may drag at times, it’s beauty remains greater than any individual song. It’s end result is deeper than any single-driven music mind could comprehend.
good review, one thing about the cleverly hidden samples…..theres only one cleverly hidden sample on the whole lp…she wrote and played every note, and its going to get even crazier..ive heard some things….Georgias A Beat Superhero here to save the day, and mother earth from the demonic evil influence of brainwashed black people and there souless struggle to truly BOOGIE!
Her musik is that musik to wake to.
(i know about thee cleverly hidden sample , for i handed it to her..lol)
Georgia sings, raps, and produces; multi-talented YES. The beats on this album are very reminiscent of “New Amerykah” by Erykah Badu, I love it. The reviewer is definitely on point; “The album’s inconsistencies are the price paid for exploration. Muldrow finds the boundaries of urban music and then stomps all over them. Sometimes it works better than others, but her refusal to play by the rules is a noble pursuit in and of itself.”
It’s a very funky eclectic project with features from some of my underground faves; Dudley Perkins, Stacey Epps, Black Milk, Big Pooh. The “My Life” track featuring Jimetta Rose and “2MC” with Black Milk/Big Pooh are @@@@@. There’s a bit of everything on this LP, and Georgia makes it all fit well sonically.
Good review.
1ne.