Musical Chairs would like to officially welcome its third member!
Offering his brand of style and class and hoping to teach us all at Musical
Chairs how to be cool, we have Chris Brown. He takes us on a guided tour around
the new release from hip-hop legends Wu-Tang Clan! Take it away Chris!
Wu-Tang, as you may know, have been around for some time now,
just over 21 years in fact. It was '93 when they dropped their first and not to
mention ground breaking album, Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Wu-Tang
defined an era with this album, they shaped the genre, influencing artists for
years to come and they still continue to do so. Both this and the second album, Wu
Tang Forever, are personal favourites. Sadly, and many may agree, the three albums
that followed just didn't quite have the same impact. There was The W (2000),
Iron Flag (2001) and 8 Diagram's (2007). Since then the group have been on
hiatus, neglecting to release a studio album. Until A Better Tomorrow, their 6th studio album that went on sale a year after it's intended release date
(2013), a date which was supposed to mark the Rap collective's 20th anniversary
but it didn't drop until 2nd December 2014!
Why the gaps between the last two albums?
The remaining
nine members; (RIP Ol' Dirty Bastard) RZA, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, Method Man,
U-God, Cappadonna, Ghostface Killah, GZA and Masta Killa, all still have their
own solo carers away from the Wu-Tang clan. Therefore, you can imagine keeping
everyone together is a difficulty in itself. Include that and any differences
they had between each other and it makes for quite the headache! All things
said an’ done, their differences were cast aside and all nine were back together as one
with album number six. (Not including the one copy album Once Upon A Time In Shaolin)
I've droned on quite enough! So, A Better Tomorrow, has it been worth
the wait? Of course it has, it's the fucking Wu-Tang!
The album kicks off with
my favourite Ruckus in B Minor: which gets the album off the ground in that true "Wu-Tang" style we anticipated. The whole is track is brilliantly pieced together
and keeps you interested, constantly changing in both intricate and simple
ways. The breakdown of the beat and the tempo on GZA's verse for instance, the
way it builds back up then cutting out to a minuscule acapella as the original
beat takes hold of you again. Not to mention the sampling of ODB (RIP) in the
interludes and again during the third hook "Still number one!” A delivery
of real conviction by Method Man before the beat drops out for the last time
and the track hits reverse. This interesting change of events continues for the
two remaining verses and into the outro, leaving me with an approving grin, I loved
it! Without a doubt there's some awesomely well-greased production here.
Lyrically, they all just roll off each other verse after verse. Hold the Heater
has a rough, darker demeanour to it then the tracks leading up to it.
Keep Watch: for lack of a better way to describe it sounds
real crisp on the intro and throughout in fact, a blend of classic piano and
the perfect amount of sampling (featuring The Sweet Inspirations - You Roam
When You Don't Get It At Home). Bring in the beat, which is an immense single
rolling punch followed by a clap, it hits instantly and caresses your ears.
Lyrically the track is none stop and just keeps flowing.
Miracle: personally I
loved it, but there's a lot of mixed feelings toward this track. It's gentle on
production for the most part. Has a slight R&B feel to it up until
Ghostface Killah's verse, bringing in distortion and reverb into the mix. The
vocal work for the hook is beautiful (provided by Tyler Diggs & Tatum
Miranda). Lyrically it's certainly got a harsh, raw vibe to it. Pioneer The
Frontier: is slow on tempo and moody
like some sort of deadly assassin. Followed by a similar Necklace: a grimy
track laced with horror movie like samples, eerie sounds and venom in the
lyrical content
Ron O'Neal: I'm not
sold on the hook, it’s the rhythm and the power in the verses that sell it for
me. The title track A Better Tomorrow: has a feel good vibe to it, (featuring
samples Wake up Everybody by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes.) It's a nice
touch to the album. Finally the last favourite track of mine on the album Never
Let Go: starts with a sample of a famous speech by Martin Luther King. The
track is filled with clever word play and some of my favourite lyrical content,
some of which I found Inspired me. That doesn't happen all too often with
modern music and not just Hip Hop.
This isn't the best album Wu-Tang have given us. Although that
takes nothing away from this release, I seriously doubt anything they release
could ever top 36 Chambers. But, to be perfectly honest, I don't see why you'd
want it to. I do not feel this release needs, or could have found
improvement-that said I still have love for them. A Better Tomorrow proves they
still got that “Wu” flare. The whole album is filled with stylistic points,
both old and new, plus the old Kung-Fu movie trademark which Never gets old!
Yes it's a damn good album, it's an experience, give it a listen. The Wu-Tang
clan ain't nuthin' to fuck wiv!
Article by Chris Brown
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