[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text el_class=”.mpc-header” css=”.vc_custom_1492946041313{margin-bottom: 30px !important;padding-top: 5px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”]

HIEROGLYPHICS. THE KITCHEN. REVIEW

[/vc_column_text][mpc_image image=”4495″ image_size=”300×300″ image_opacity=”100″ image_inner_border_gap=”0″ effect=”none” image_hover_opacity=”100″][vc_empty_space][mpc_textblock content_width=”100″ font_preset=”mpc_preset_101″ font_color=”#727272″ font_size=”21″ font_line_height=”1.3″ font_transform=”none” font_align=”left”]I have no reference point approaching this album other than to say I’m familiar – to varying degrees – with all the emcees involved so my mind is clean and impartial. Fans of lyrical Left Coast flavourings a la Dilated Peoples, J5 and Lootpack will be happy; this is quintessential West Coast hip-hop – not rap – that captures the classic Cali sound reminiscent of circa ’99.

The album flows fluidly from start to finish with no bumps along the way. It kicks off well with the Del-produced Living It Up, stabs of funky neck-jerking brass drawing you in. Funky and chunky are the operative words that best describes The Kitchen. There’s lots of it. “Nano Salt”, produced by Opio (who carries the bulk of the sonic illustrations) is a funky pimp-strutting joint that could have done without the squeaky sound running through it.  “Nutrition” is another funky cut that only suffers due to its brevity. “Highway Five” and “Immortals” are my least favourite cuts but that doesn’t mean they’re wack, they’re not, and there’s not one wet fart in a pick of 17 tracks.

Left in the hands of a lesser crew 17 joints would have been seven to many.  All the emcees and producers handle their business cohesively and though there’s a lot of cooks in the kitchen not one spoils the broth (I’m sorry but I had to!).  I guess I have two reasonable gripes. One, it maybe lacks one or two tracks of a Goliath nature and two, being a fan of Del the funky homosapien I would have appreciated a few more verses from the man. All in all The Kitchen is a fresh, breezy album and with all that fast food rap they’re serving out there this is a substantial Sunday roast that satisfies the mental palate.

Mr. Timothy[/mpc_textblock][/vc_column][/vc_row]