Album Review: Kero One – Early Believers (2009)
Rating: 4 out of 5 Potholes
San Francisco producer Kero One seems to have hit his stride with 2009’s Early Believers, an impressive follow-up to his highly acclaimed Windmills of the Soul. Well known for his jazz influenced beats and meaningful subject matter, Kero One uses Early Believers to further display his production skills in the same manner.
There is a cool breeziness present on this album as smooth pianos, organs, and saxophones glide over steady and punctual drums, fitting for his simple and light approach to the music. Kero One seems to be a bit more interested in playing with the concept of hooks, as he incorporates a variety of vocal loops and choruses, which, combined with the other samples and scratches, connect the album more to a conventional hip-hop album than a jazz album. It should be noted that this album is focused on production (there are even two fascinating instrumentals), which to its credit is marvelous.
Lyrically, the album’s content is also very good; Kero One favors a holistic and moral standpoint (think Common). He preaches love in every sense – love for music, love for life, and love for other people – and this is evident (almost too much so) with even just one listen to Early Believers. This is pleasant because the lyrical content matches the beats particularly well, which is an indication that there was a great deal of thought put into the project as a whole. For example, the tracks that would remind someone of happiness and a sunny day are about sunshine, the Bay Area, or striving for success. However, the overwhelming predictability of the album serves as its one downfall. There is an over-emphasis placed on impressing the ideas of love and happiness that it risks becoming cheesy at times.
Furthermore, the album lacks an immediate standout track to match the success of “In All the Wrong Places” from Windmills of the Soul. Although, the opening two tracks “Welcome to the Bay,” and “When the Sunshine Comes” provide a great 1-2. That said, Early Believers is still an excellent example of alternative hip-hop production at its finest.
4 out of 5