Feedback

by

Jurassic 5

Edit

I recall hearing Quality Control as a major wake up call for me. Until that point I was very skeptical of all hip hop, thinking that the best the genre had to offer was on commerical radio. The allure of J5 was an indie crowd appeal, proven by several stints at Bonnaroo. They gave us relaxed, throwback, motown hip hop that dealt lyrically with more down to earth matters than sex, violence, and gangs. DJs Nu Mark and Cut Chemist provided beats that were the antithesis to commercial hip hop, using very jazzy live drum beats.

Now what?

It seems on this new disc that the corporate machine that is Interscope Records forced our boys to create a more MTV-ready, easily marketable record. I'm not saying they've "sold out;" that term is soulless. With the exception of the beats, this is classic J5: soulful harmonizing, positive lyrics, and a very laid back feeling.

But something's missing.

The other major draw of J5, and a fact that can be heard repeatedly in the lyrics of the first two albums, were the two DJs that brought it all together. Cut Chemist and Nu Mark melded their massive talents together to form the simple beats that made J5 a monster hip hop force that it is today. But, because of a new solo disc, Cut Chemist is nowhere to be found on Feedback. As a result, Nu Mark turns to other DJs to help with the beat making process, and, as I see it, they wound up with very average beats. I realize that no artist can, or should, make the same album more than once; everyone grows both artistically and stylistically. But when a completely imaginative group start thinking inside the box, at least a little disappointment will follow.

Having said all that, Feedback is still, compared to the hip hop on the radio, a very original, better-than-most hip hop album that will keep most J5 fans happy for years to come. After the first few tracks, this new CD is amazing, in a different way than the first two J5 albums. My review would have been much more negative if they had simply put out "Quality Control Part Two."

I was given this album by my boyfriend with no explanation but a look of disgust on his face. Since we got together nearly 5 years ago, until this album J5 were consistantly played on long car journeys and just for general chilling out.

'Power in numbers' came out somewhere in our relationship and that only took a day to get used to, and 'Quality Control' and 'Jurassic 5' were still high ranking on the playlist.

I was therefore suprised when this album wasn't anything like previous albums. It really sounds like it could have been made by any generic feel good band. I really love track 7 'Work it out', but again, anyone could have released it and it would have sounded the same.

Where have the amazing beats gone? 'Whats Golden' and 'High Fidelity' had astounding backing tracks that, and pay attention, DIDN'T overpower the vocals. And speaking of the vocals, the way in which the songs are set out has changed completly, and I think this is the greatest detriment to the style. No more intertwining lyrics, no more happy upbeat almost freestyle sounding delivery, everything feels very staid and planned and the fun has gone out of it all. All in all it feels like its verging on R&B, very mainstream and very diluted. Hell, it's listenable to but it's not an uplifting experience like the last albums.

Somewhere on one of the songs on 'Feedback' there is the whoop from the beginning of whats golden. I immediately switched album and listed through Power in Numbers and the difference is astounding. Feedback is hopefully a rare fall from grace for J5. I have introduced so many people to this group, and if any group deserves recognition, for restraining from gangsta rap and being proud of it to building up a fan base without selling out then J5 are them. But it scares the crap out of me that this is what they'll be remembered for, their first mainstream album will be what a lot of people will percieve them as, and they are so much more than that.

If you have just bought this album or are thinking about it, and this is the first you've heard of J5, go download 'Concrete and Clay', 'Unified Rebelution' or 'Jurass Finish First'. Then go buy the older albums and maybe it'll get the message across that the older stuff is a couple billion times better than this forgettable commercial crap and they'll get back to making the music that got them this far.