Album Review: Waxolutionists – We Paint Colors (2009)

Album Review: Waxolutionists - We Paint Colors (2009)
Rating: 3 out of 5 Potholes

With Hip-Hop having a worldwide reach now a day, it is still weird to say Hip-Hop from Vienna, in a good way though.  So this producer and DJ Trio, after four albums, have just released their fifth effort.  Titled We Paint Colors, DJ Zuzee, DJ Buzz and the Bionic Kid bring an amalgamated smorgasbord of guests to their party, and the end result is mixed, albeit entertaining nonetheless.

Production across this disc contains a lot of crashing kicks and domecracker styled snares, along with spacey synths that create a very calm and collected mood.  Not being sample-heavy allows the production on this disc a lot of breathing room, as proven by the opening song “Flashlight” featuring the lyrical stylings of Hygher Baby.  An interesting trio formed by Mystic, Hezekiah and Dave Ghetto appear twice on two different tracks such as the single “Feet Don’t Fail Me Now”,  and again on “Dance With Me” which shows a great deal of chemistry between the three.  Blu also provides the highlight of the disc on “Steel Remains” where he flows effortlessly over a carnival styled synth and Blu exhibiting much of the cadence that made us woo over him on Below The Heavens.

Obviously the collaborations take a lot of room on the disc, which presents one problem: this trio has some great instrumental tracks.  Such is exhibited on “Bleak Prophecy” where it could’ve sounded like an outtake to OutKast’s “The Whole World.”  Elsewhere you also have an entertaining instrumental on “Field of Wonders” and another in several short doses, as provided on “Kantate”, “Atlas”, and “Overloaded”.  But there are many more instrumentals here that are entertaining and really show the trio at their best.  Each DJ and the main producer add something interesting to the pot that translates well.

Overall, while the collaborations are noteworthy and are a shining spot on the record, it is the instrumentals that makes the group’s production shine through.  You’d think on a disc that clocks in at 65 minutes and 21 tracks, there would be more spots to make the shorter instrumentals more expansive, but what they’ve put out here is definitely something that’s very entertaining to the ear.