Review: Leave It All Behind

Get ready to get your grown folk on because this album may be the most musically and lyrically mature album you hear all year. Nicolay is now a developed producer working in North Carolina with Phonte, and his Foreign Exchange counterpart has got his Sunday suit on with the vocal chords warmed up. Leave It All Behind comes after the very impressive Connected with high expectations to exceed the first drop by the internationally stringed duo. Do they sadly leave everything great behind on the LP, or do they evolve to a more retrospective, yet, proactive state of mind?

I should warn you (and I’m sure most reviewers will) that there are a few things one should know about the album. Firstly, Phonte doesn’t rap. Aside from 2 short verses, the listener never gets treated to the witty and intelligent rhymes of Mr. Coleman. Moreover, this is not a hip hop album in the literal sense. While the aura of the album and of the two artists scream hip hop, the overall feel is a very “Quiet Storm” type. Lastly, Nicolay steals the show. It is extremely impressive to see a producer evolve to such a vast array of sounds and create fusions of beautiful melodies on a variety of tracks. Phonte takes a backseat to Nic even though his singing is fantastic, but it does give much more room for Nic to spread his mastermind.

Rapping aside, great music is great music. So, does LIAB deliver in that sense? Essentially, the album works like a mountainous journey. The first 4 tracks are all stellar at building up to a climax, but, that climax (or tip of the mountain) never comes. The middle of the album undoubtedly drags on. The seamless transitions of Nicolay could be seen as a flaw because it does feel that 4 songs string together for one complete song. The fusion of sounds suddenly stays steady, but the walk gets to a comforting conclusion by the end of the LP.

“Something to Behold” is clearly the stand out track both lyrically and in execution. The added and much needed ‘zing’ in here is Phonte’s verse. It’s extremely bittersweet because one will start thinking about a whole album full of 16’s like that over this production. What will irk me the most will be those who think Phonte should just drop the singing. I disagree, the man has a talent that needs to be exposed and his voice is another piece of weaponry for his seemingly endless arsenal of talent. The fear is that it becomes used inappropriately or untimely.

The issue is that Phonte, the singer, is not enough to overpower the super-production of Nicolay. The musical display on “House of Cards” is beautiful, the drums and the kick-in at the chorus is unreal, but unfortunately the singing does nothing to evolve the track and instead, brings it down. The same could be said for a multiple number of the tracks. But, I do state this again…Phonte is a GREAT singer, perhaps, it is just that Nicolay is such a strong producer.

The evolution of Nicolay from Connected is almost uncanny. The production, as great as it was on Connected, seems to trump much of his other work. Phonte is simply a better rapper, but it really isn’t his fault that he is also a great singer. The direction of this album is clear; it is a mature and serious album focused heavily on relationships. There wasn’t much that many would want to leave behind with Connected, and instead, elements that made that album so great could’ve been divulged into this album a little bit more. It’s important to realize that this is an album one will need to sit down and get to know. The first few listens may not appeal, but the next few over a couple of weeks may inspire a higher appreciation and enjoyment.

As a side note: the photography for this album cover is masterful. Not only does it capture an unsettling and kind of haunting mood, it also captures the rather dark and mysterious production style that Nicolay displays through the overall sound. It is a small piece of the large puzzle that makes the Foreign Exchange listening, an experience.

Overall Score: 77.5/100

Standout Tracks:

“Daykeeper”

“Something to Behold”

“Take Off the Blues”