Album Review: LMNO – fOnk Garden (2010)
Rating: 3 out of 5 Potholes
fOnk Garden is a vegetable heavy album. The first song name-drops 21 different crops (beets, rutabagas, cabbage, carrot, garlic, limes, peaches, tomatoes, peas, squash, melons, cantaloupes, avocados, strawberries, mangos, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, asparagus, rosemary, soy beans and honeydews) and is indicative of what LMNO’s newest album is all about: funk, jazz, classic hip hop samples, an emphasis on the dj, and vegetables. Lots of vegetables.
LMNO (Leave My Name Out) is a rap veteran. Through his membership in the Visionaries and time in the West Coast music scene, he has had the opportunity to practice and refine his craft. Despite his numerous releases and years put in, he isn’t a great rapper. His flow and voice are average at best and he spits few lines that will drop jaws on account of their complexity. That said, the rhymes on this disc remain interesting due to the novelty of the subject matter and the clever ways he stretches it for an entire album. He combines literal references to gardening with greater themes of peace, positivity and growth. The messages are uplifting without being lame or preachy. This style is exemplified on the standout track, “Plant Seeds” when LMNO raps, “In the sun, with the funk gardener, we don’t use pesticides on the blessed side, it’s the freshest product you can buy. How you been bee? Just pollinating.” Maybe it’s my respect for a hip hop nerd, or my inner-green-thumb, but I found the themes of plants and harvest a refreshing departure from what one typically hears out a rapper’s mouth.
LMNO was wise to enlist singer and musician Georgia Anne Muldrow to produce the entire album. She utilizes bass heavy funk, strings and jazz keys to create a cohesive sound that impresses. The melodies are airy while the bass pounds. They are enjoyable throughout while never stealing center-stage from the emcee. Muldrow even laces a few tracks with her sultry voice to great effect. Beyond the stellar beats, the instrumentals contain a refreshingly large amount of turntablism. Intros, extended choruses and outros frequently feature solid scratching and old school vocal sampling. In 2010, it’s nice to be reminded how strong control of the turntables can balance out a track and an album.
Besides LMNO’s occasionally boring or awkward flow, the album has a couple of flaws. Numerous skits featuring the cartoonish animal inhabitants of a “funk garden” are tacked onto the end of songs. It’s a shame that rappers insist on including skits that wear thin well before the songs do and greatly hinder the flow of the disc. Perhaps LMNO was simply trying to fatten up the playtime, as the ten tracks are certainly on the short side.
An album with tales better fit for a green house than the big house may not be for everyone, but it should be praised for the risks it takes. LMNO has announced plans to release ten albums this year, but even if he fails to fulfill the ambitious goal, he should consider 2010 an artistic success on account of fOnk Garden.
