Dead Poets are comprised of the very much alive and well, Mark –uz (Knyte) and Lazarus (Laz), and Starving Artist is, in fact, quite a filling serving of rap music. During one called “Too Many Mics”, they claim to “cover more ground than FedEx.” And while the musical expanse isn’t quite that wide, these two serious wordsmith-musicians certainly cover a whole lot of musical and lyrical territory.
Starving Artist is mostly a serious, socially conscious work, as tracks like “On the Grind” detail troublesome urban conditions. “Cops treat us like we’re running from immigration,” they complain, while also discussing young mothers struggling to take care of their young and working hard to pay the mortgage. Helped by Jesse Calico and J-Rock, the grinding analysis that is “On the Grind” is performed over a stripped down arrangement with percussion up front and center. “Step Up”, which follows next, comes off like a solution song to “On the Grind” as it advises tough guys to show how truly tough they are by stepping up and being men. That means being responsible. That requires keeping commitments. Mike D’mello is the special guest on this call for men to do the right things.
This duo balances out city-centric tales of trials and tribulations with a few songs that address a few pleasures of life — even though these joys are many times immoral and illegal. “Irresistible” features Denae and L’monte and sexy female vocals in a song that brags about one male’s sexuality. Oddly, however, this character also has an overt foot fetish. Well, whatever. “Stoner’s Paradise”, one of this release’s bonus tracks, begins with the obvious sounds of potheads smoking up as the weed high is discussed at length in song.
One of this CD’s best tracks is called “Uncomplicated” and features Sadie’s singing. It begins with harp sounds, before going into acoustic strummed rhythm with acoustic piano coloring. As strange as this may sound, it wouldn’t be surprising to find hippie Jack Johnson fans digging on this gentle groove. For music fans, it is a great discovery to find artists rapping over something besides old soul grooves and jazz jam samples. Granted, it’s a kinder, gentler rap. But it’s also a wonderful new wrinkle in an otherwise mostly used up genre. “Coolest” is another one of this disc’s quieter tracks. Along with punched horn samples, this cut also includes guitar, piano, strings, and female ooh-ing and ah-ing. Ellie also adds a little tough chick rap action toward the end of the tune.
Speaking of old soul music, “Elbow Room”, which once again features J-Rock along with Tsi Labrev this time, rolls to pumping drums, honking horns, and scratched out guitar licks. In its best moments, this track’s momentum gathering groove brings the great Public Enemy to mind. J-Rock brings a distinctly Jamaican vibe to “Tickled Pink”, which is only spoiled by a few oddly placed sound effects, such as its pause for the sound of aluminum can top popping. With these insertions, the momentum is cruelly halted.
Although Starving Artist only occasionally breaks new musical ground, Dead Poets nevertheless consistently keep the music sounding fresh and passionate. With a little more experimentation, as found on “Uncomplicated”, along with a few less stark, harsh tracks, this disc might have been truly great. Nevertheless, it is still an extremely good effort, with plenty of fine musical moments to cherish. Listeners will not go away hungry after listening to it.
Reviewed By Dan MacIntosh
