K-Murdock: Mood Muzik 2 (Piano-rama)

K-Murdock has been creating some of the most unique productions in hip hop for the last five years.  As half of the duo Panacea, he has become one of the underground scene’s most admired artists along with his rhyme partner Raw Poetic.  The duo gained a following as part of the re-launch of Rawkus Records with their critically acclaimed albums Ink Is My Drink and The Scenic Route.  After releasing Mood Muzik Vol. 1 last year for free, K-Murdock is back with Volume 2.  The second part of the series is entitled Piano-rama and the album truly lives up to that title with piano driven productions throughout the project.

“Star Seeds” is an immediate standout featuring K-Murdock employ clashing instrumentation of symbols, drums & of course the piano with rhymes from ParanormL.  The emcee is no slouch on the mic though as he delivers an impressive performance.  Like ParanormL, K gives shine to talented artists you might not be very familiar with like The Regiment, Fuzz & Mac, longtime collaborator Wes Felton and the Low Budget Collective’s Quartermaine.

The boom bap sound of “The Up-Rizing” gives a change of pace as Damu The Fudgemunk, who also contributes to the intro & outro, lends his hand with scratches. Relative unknown Real Reid shines on the track with lines like: “the uprising will come the population is China / over a billion souls got their heat & ghostriding / there is no contract doing deals with the devil / Indian giving our land at the pilgrims that settle / this that new shit Methodist weapon is the testament / not Dilated Peoples, definitely need Evidence.”

The smooth jazz feel of “The Chosen” works well with the beautiful voice of songstress Megan Livingston. There is no short of great singing on the album with contributions from Bilal Salaam & K’Alyn on “Mood Muzik” and “A Better Kiss Goodbye” respectively.

K-Murdock and his Panacea accomplice Raw Poetic team up on the aforementioned “Mood Muzik,” “One Second Pause,” and “The Gauntlet” which also features talented emcee Random. Raw Poetic shines on the latter as he rhymes: “I never take life too serious / every time I’m talking to spirits feeling delirious / dreaming grandmother’s messages / putting them out so effortlessly / now whatchu think is real to me.”

Even though the album is full of vocalists, K-Murdock is still the center of attention. He gets to show off his solo ability on the three “Intsro-ludes” which feature no vocals. “Streisand” showcases a spacey sound, something we’ve come to expect from the Neosonic producer. “IGYB” is a hard hitting & heavily piano driven melody while “Mirage” is the most laid back of the three solo tracks.

Piano-rama is another gem from K-Murdock.  Maybe you would like to see more rhymes and less singing if you’re a hip hop head or you might feel the spoken word effort from Wes Felton “Tobias” is unnecessary. The reality is K-Murdock executed his concept of a piano-driven album to the fullest without it being overbearing.  Mood Muzik Volume 2 is clearly some of his best work yet.  The question now is what does he have in store for Panacea’s next group effort 12 Step Program?

8.5/10

The Up-Rizing

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A Better Kiss Goodbye

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The Gauntlet

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