Album Review: V.P. Rao – Obrigado Advogados (2009)

Album Review: V.P. Rao – Obrigado Advogados (2009)
Rating: 4 out of 5 Potholes

For those who have followed Potholes In My Blog since the beginning, you may very well be familiar with the name Animate Objects, the Chicago-area hip-hop band that fuses live instrumentation with slamming beats and smooth rhymes. From that same band comes member V.P. Rao’s solo project, Obrigado Advogados. As V.P. describes it, Obrigado Advogados means ‘thank you lawyers’ in Brazilian Portuguese. The record itself, consisting of five tracks (four instrumentals), offers V.P.’s reflections on the time period revolving around his days in law school, and each track is derived from a series of conversations V.P. shared with a friend of his. Obrigado Advogados seems to unfold in a story-like manner, with a natural progression from beginning to middle to end.

“Good Morning” opens up the album, serving fittingly as a wake-up, or a new beginning. It’s as if the listener is opening their eyes for the first time upon a new world, immersed in curiosity of the unknown and the promise of opportunity. In this case, V.P.’s new world was law school. Between “Good Morning” and the following track, “soul’SwellanddoingFINE” it is clear that V.P. is toying with the depth of production, creating remarkable soundscapes layered with intricacies that make attentive listening all the more rewarding. Rooted in hip-hop, yet straddling the lines between downtempo, electronica, and trip-hop, there is a very atmospheric vibe to the first two tracks.

The third track, “Stewards Of The Duplicate”, is where the album begins to take a small ominous step. The song takes on a heavier feel, possibly suggesting something in V.P.’s life at this point was just a bit off. This track serves as an exploration of what’s unknown, possibly a search for further answers, and finishes off with a climatic realization. This is immediately proceeded by a haunting chant of “lights out” on the track “Eyes 4 U”, the one track backed with vocals. Charles Hammond Jr. lends smooth singing that graces the background while Animate Objects’ own MC CZAR lays down a stellar rap. Playing on the concept of the dark sides of romanticism, likely in the literal sense (love between two people), but perhaps in an obsessive sense, “Eyes 4 U” builds on the trepidation presented in the previous track.

“A Hymnal For The Star Crossed” is the true treat here, providing a captivating finale. Those familiar with the movie The Graduate, or influential folk artists Simon and Garfunkel, ought to pick up on the melodic similarities to “The Sound Of Silence” that appear at numerous times throughout this track. While certainly no cover of the original, V.P. has taken up the duty of re-interpreting this classic piece. There are numerous ways to interpret this. “The Sound Of Silence” was recorded in the wake of the Kennedy assassination, depicting the sentiments of a confused, lost nation. Yet, “A Hymnal For The Star Crossed” holds too much beauty for that same sentiment to apply here. Rather, it likely suggests the feelings of entering the real world, as a ‘star crossed lover,’ and facing all sorts of unknowns, and endless possibilities. Either way, creating an instrumental album opens the door for interpretation, and Obrigado Advogados does a wonderful job of providing stimulating material to consider.