When I think of Minnesota, I think of one of the few real hockey states in the US, the classic Coen Bros film Fargo, and Justin Morneau. I should also add that I think of remarkably underrated and underappreciated hip hop acts such as Brother Ali, Atmosphere, Doomtree, and Kanser (just to name a few). Even though he is originally from Kansas, Analyrical, who is currently a full time resident of Saint Paul, certainly has a demeanor and style reminiscent of the various aforementioned artists. Fresh off of his first recorded work, The Platter Mixtape, Analyrical delivers what he hopes to be his magnum opus: First Date. Spawning various topics such as relationships (both bad and good), his love for the mic, and straight up trash talk, Analyrical definitely has all the talent a capable emcee should have, but lacks exciting and engaging lyricism and song composition that consequently makes this project an unfortunate snoozer.
Analyrical obviously has a plethora of talent. Look no further than his lyrical gems “Pre-Game” and “Radio Waves” to see the ability he is able to extract from his soul and translate into fundamental hip-hop-Boom-Bap-era-type bangers. And his Slug-like flow and revelation-style on “Poet Laureate” is highly welcoming, especially when backed by such a mood-fulfilling beat. “More Than” is another joint that really blends beautiful production in with soulful lyrics and passionate emotion, as Ana tells us that Hip Hop is slicker (and thicker) than your average. It’s on these tracks that Ana is at his best because of how he is able to connect with his listeners and simply doesn’t force the product of First Date at all. His flow is near perfect, his voice is controlled, and he’s evidently in a comfort zone when he’s just kicking rhymes for the hell of it. While his huffing-and-puffing breath control is a huge pet peeve of mine, it’s not as evident on these tracks (well, “Pre-Game” is pretty bad for that, but it’s forgivable), and once again, that more or less contributes to him being in his comfort zone and within his technical limits.
It’s when Lyric seems to tie in this non-existent concept of the “first date” with surrounding songs where the project either doesn’t satisfy the ear drums, strum emotional chords or even twitch reactionary nerves. “The Panther” is a bore, fully intact with a tacky chorus, while “Tick Tock” is a little bit of a façade as it delves into a more up-tempo pace and even has Ana attacking media-types and journalists. Clearly, his bark is loud, but his bite is toothless. Most of the album follows this trend; there is evident passion and feeling in his voice (like the Brother Ali-esque “Count Up”), but Analyrical’s execution of vividly depicting the stories he crafts throughout the project is poor, Furthermore, he barely does a suitable job of fulfilling the concept of the album’s title to it’s full potential. In fact, thinking creatively, various “firsts” could’ve been discussed, and this truly could have been a unique and wonderfully unorthodox LP; but it isn’t.
Production isn’t let off the hook, which is unfortunate, considering that there seems to be a variety of talented flavours here (Orikal (Graff Roots Media), Dimitry Killstorm, Phingaz (Background Noise Crew), B-Mc C, Arsenic, Ecid, Vividend (Sinthesis), Span Phly, and Katrah-Quey). Song composition seems misjudged and even comes off as cheesy at times. “Bathroom Kung Fu” comes to mind as a song that exemplifies some of the album’s missteps in terms of technical song-writing and lack of maturity in what could’ve been a very concise package.
Sadly, First Date just doesn’t cut it. Especially when this emcee’s voice and style is so similar to arguably two of the best underground hip hop artists doing it right now, there has to be something unique, some elaborate spark, or even a well delivered concept to fulfill the more in-depth listeners. Ironically enough, Analyrical’s biggest success comes when he “dumbs it down” a bit and simply connects with his audience on a platonic level via hip hop. Instead of bringing a dozen roses, sometimes all it takes is a single lily to show utmost thoughtfulness.
64/100
Sky Is Burning
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Radio Waves
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More Than
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Thanks to Sean Deez for the thoughtful review. It is much appreciated.
For those who want to purchase the album, please go to the following:
http://www.backgroundnoisecrew.com/
Should also be posted on iTunes in the next 2-3 weeks or so.