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Liberation

Rock ALBUM REVIEW

Liberation
Talib Kweli and Madlib
Release Date: January 02, 2007
Rating:
 
 
by Donnell Alexander
LiveDaily Contributor

TalibLib. This collaboration isn't as much concerned with coming off as a great, big album -- Liberation contains only nine tracks -- as it is with being a spark of recognition that pops when uncompromised talents link. On Liberation, a Brooklyn wordsmith meets a Ventura, CA, production genius, and the overall results are funky.

High-pitched college boy Talib Kweli remains one of the most underrated talents around. (Writing like "I'm so good without your props and accolades / crackin' like whips on the backs of slaves / spittin' on the master's grave" will still lower that music-industry glass ceiling with a quickness.) The Black Star cohort's lightly grained voice is marked by a penchant for self-critical insight and hilarity, especially on "Time is Right." That song introduces the heart of Liberation, "Engine Runnin'" and "Over the Counter." By then, if listener isn't onboard for the worlds-colliding sound the MC and producer have put down, the listener isn't going to be into "Liberation."

One of the harsh realities of living in the time of corporate-dominated hip-hop is the public not knowing that Madlib (music) is just as talented as Dr. Dre and that Jay-Z's got little on Talib Kweli. But Liberation's makers celebrate, not hate. They knew the job was dangerous when they took it.


Article used with permission from LiveDaily.com.

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