CunninLynguists: Strange Journey Vol. 1

Editor’s note: Thanks to Judge Mental from VinylMeltdown.com for stopping by and guest writing for the site!

Kentucky’s finest come through with another stellar record with Strange Journey Vol. 1. This is their most guest heavy work, and it’s not even a full album. While most of the tracks are original, there are a couple of remixes, one live recording, and even a couple tracks where the only CunninLynguists tie is the production by under-rated producer, Kno. The music is all dope, no doubt, but still, a more focused album of all new material would provide a much more satisfying listen. With my one criticism out of the way, I can go into why this is an amazing piece of work.

Kno has never been so on point. There, I said it. And as one of my all time favourite producers, this is not a statement to take lightly. He can go from a playful, psychedelic joint like “Never Come Down,” to the sinister and heavy handed “Die for You” so effortlessly, and without losing the listener on the way. His samples hit you deep down inside, and stir up emotions in a way that no other hip-hop producer seems to be capable of doing.

One of the other big selling points on this album is the amount of guest-spots. You’ve got everyone from Khujo Goodie, to Slug, Mac Lethal, Nappy Roots, and Hilltop Hoods. It’s a very diverse, very talented lineup of guests, which traditionally has not been something that Cunninlynguists are known for. Everybody seems to fall right into place perfectly, and given some of the talent they roped in, they bring up the overall lyricism on the album.

Like I said, my only major complaint about this is that Strange Journey isn’t really a true album. In the past we’ve seen that Cunninlynguists are most lyrically poignant when their album is dictated by a concept (the brilliant work of A Piece of Strange). And while there are so many excellent tracks on this project, there’s nothing to tie them together. Plus, the whole vibe of the album is thrown off by the fact that some of the songs are re-hashes (albeit, dope ones) of previously released tracks. I think I can speak for everyone in saying that the fans are always going to want new material.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable listen. Even the skits are entertaining. Kno continues to dominate the game by bringing in heat with innovative and hard hitting emotional production. Natti and Deacon go in lyrically, but bring in some heavyweights to do some of the lifting. But, it just doesn’t feel like a fully thought out piece of work. And something about that bugs me. Nevertheless, like all of the other records in their discography, this is definitely deserving of a pick-up. And come September 8th, we’ll have a Volume 2 to enjoy. Until then, this is definitely a disc that is getting some consistent bumps.

85/100

“Die For You”

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“Hypnotized”

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“Don’t Leave”

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“Nothing But Strangeness”

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