Album Review: God-Des & She – Three (2009)
Rating: 2 out of 5 Potholes
Buy Now! God-Des & She – Three
In today’s musical climate, it’s almost impossible for a musician to say they do only one type of music. Even the strictest of genres are now gateways to other styles and sounds evident with hip-hop/pop hybrids that we hear now. Is that a bad thing? Depends. Sometimes cross-over appeal can reach out to a wider audience, but at times it could alienate the already established fan-base you may have.
Three, God-Des & She’s latest release, explores the sounds of electronica, alternative rock, and pop all under a hip-hop umbrella. At times the combination works with synthesizer-inspired production on tracks like “What Would We Be” and “Love Machine”. Their backdrops are reminiscent of groups like the Gorillaz with the energy of a Gnarls Barkley record.
It’s not all uptempo intensity, though. There are several moments when the pace slows down, such as on “Blue In The Face”, a ballad of love complications accompanied by heavy drums. And then there are elements that simply do not work. For example, “Change”, with harmonicas and dated rapping, sounds like a country song gone wrong — and it leaves one wondering why it was even included on this record.
That being said, the core audience of this project will be pleased with the results. These people are the younger alternative crowds. The ones that pride themselves into having independent music tastes, but are ultimately pop fans. Tracks like “Drum Circle” and “Spin the Bottle” are tailor made for movie scores like Twilight or a Disney television show. This is by no means an insult, especially if this is the goal of the artists.
Production wise, the music on here can contend with their pop counterparts on the radio, and that ultimately is a good thing. Overall God-Des & She are equipped for a fan-base that is open to their pop-induced sounds. Even in admitting it’s not something a hip-hop/soul/jazz head like myself would purchase, it is admirable to find them so passionate in what they’re doing.
