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Dec 09, 2013 Issue #48 - November/December 2013 - HAIM By Jim Scott

Sixteen years after their groundbreaking The Album, Lateef the Truthspeaker and Lyrics Born return as Latyrx for The Second Album. Where The Album felt vibrant and off-the-cuff, thrilling in its loose assembly, The Second Album is a traditional record, with solid production and a coherent vision. Time has caught up to the electronic flourishes that made Latyrx sound unlike anything else in 1997. The Second Album sounds much like present day hip-hop, with a few exceptions, like the excellent “Watershed Moment,” and the less successful “Deliberate Gibberish.” The laid-back “Exclamation Point” and the frenetic album closer “Gorgeous Spirits” are highlights, but they can’t match the incredible originality of their earlier work.

Having two creative minds such as Lateef and Lyrics Born working side-by-side is nothing but a boon to hip-hop, however, and the hope here is that The Third Album and The Fourth Album and many more are soon to follow.(www.latyrxauthentic.com)

Author rating: 6.5/10