AWmusic

Rhymesayers have done it again! Some may say I ride the jock of this music label, but can you blame me when almost every release is pure gold. ‘Never Better’ is no exception. As far as I’m concerned P.O.S has created one of, if not the best hip hop albums of 2009. Producing over half of the beats on this album himself it becomes very apparent his roots growing up, a combination of hip hop and old school punk rock. ‘Never Better’ is a start to finish blend of some serious beats with lyrics that have a poetic and in your face punch from both P.O.S and some fellow Doomtree members. A sensory flood of pure musical genius.

‘Let It Rattle’ is our introduction to this masterpiece and opens with P.O.S apologizing for the long wait for this, his follow up to the 2005 critically acclaimed album ‘Audition’. No apologies needed, the outcome was well worth the wait. Whispers of music lay the ground for a dictation of lyrical mastery, the track builds as does the intensity of his vocal delivery until the drop of a chorus line over a rocking broken beat. This track builds and drops, builds and drops in succession until the end where it’s then followed by, the album’s second single, ‘Drumroll (We’re All Thirsty)’. Right from the get-go this song represents his punk rock days with a hard rolling snare drum and distorted guitar. A lyrical cadence like a machine gun fires over the beat.

Production with smashing drum kits and raunchy guitar is certainly a style P.O.S has been perfecting for years and tracks like ‘Purexed’, ‘Graves (We Wrote The Book)’ and ‘Terrorish’ have proved he’s reached that pinnacle; while tracks like ‘Savion Glover’, ‘Goodbye’ (the first single) and ‘Low Light Low Life’ display his more typical, but certainly not generic, hip hop flavour. ‘Low Light Low Life’ has to be one of my favorites. The beat almost reminds me of some theme music from a 70’s action movie and it also features (probably my favorite female rapper/poet/spoken-word artist) Dessa, Cecil Otter and Sims, all from the Doomtree crew.

There isn’t one track I would skip on this album, each has it’s own way of capturing a piece of my heart. A blend of distorted beats and production with vocal delivery and lyrics that are by far some of the best I’ve heard recently. If you have yet to pick this album up, what the hell are you waiting for? Also, if you buy through iTunes you will get a bonus track titled ‘Slint’, which is worth it, and a video for ‘Goodbye’, as well as all the album art.

Here’s the video for ‘Drumroll (We’re All Thirsty)’:

and now some tracks:
P.O.S. – Graves (We Wrote The Book)
P.O.S. – Low Light Low Life

Tags: album