Comments on: Pharoahe Monch-Desire

By: haloedbmyname

haloedbmyname — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 08:25:00 +0000

I bought the CD and listened to it on a trip down the coast from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles. I was most impressed by the song “trilogy” which expertly tells a story of adultery, extortion, and revenge. The production on this album is earnest and can be enjoyed for its attempts to create soul from synths, some live collaboration, and carefull samples. The lyrics are thought provoking and clever and are most impressive when Pharoahe is using his skills to describe a situation (i.e “Hold on”) rather than bragging about what he is and what you are not (i.e.”what it is”).
The songs “Body Baby” and “Bar Tap” are not good. Positive erudite rappers can never contact the sexual immediacy that dumb-assed rappers who can’t think passed their dicks seem to conjure into hits almost unconsciously. Another issue is that the use of R&B choruses on every song is kind of like when three times dope got with Steve Arrington from Slave for live from Akniculous land (read: not good).
That said, I would recommend you buy or download this CD. It may be the only thing to save you from the thug-rappers of the future who will weigh you down with a platinum chain and then suck your brain out of its skull.

By: doctashock

doctashock — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 06:18:00 +0000

I still haven’t heard the whole album, and I ask this not so much to clown but just to double check my hearing… Is that a sample from the opening chords to one of the Scooby Doo themes for “What it Is”?

check it at bout 1:06 in:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5f99lRlE_g

By: Peter Divito

Peter Divito — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 19:17:00 +0000

good review. i just feel like pharoahe has set the bar so high this album was bound to be disappointing. 8 years off and past material=your new album gets the cold shoulder.

By: Human

Human — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 04:08:00 +0000

Suzanna Somers can still get it.

By: Dan Love

Dan Love — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 16:13:00 +0000

Great review Jeff, and I agree entirely with your summary. There certainly are some throwaway tracks here but generally speaking it's a very solid release.

Will I still be playing it in 6 months? I dunno, and ultimately it is longevity that proves an album's true worth for me. We'll see...

Thanks for the add on your blogroll, apologies for being so rambling in the 3 comments I dropped on the previous post.

Take it easy fella,

Dan

By: Zilla Roc.

Zilla Roc. — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 15:00:00 +0000

I like the album, although it’s a little too short for someone who hasn’t dropped since ‘99.

I still have “What It Is” on repeat–that track is an MC’s dream.