“The Renaissance“, the new album from Kamal Fareed aka Q Tip is pretty much what you expect from him…..good jazzy souful hip hop. Did you really think Kamal would make a wack album? However I can’t really say this album is exceptional. It’s what you would expect and nothing more.There’s really nothing “special” about it but that doesn’t in no way say it’s bad. ATCQ fans should really enjoy this of course.

Now for the songs…

“Johnny Is Dead” starts off the album with an upbeat sound.

“Won’t Trade” is a funky track reminiscent of many Marley Marl joints from back in the day.

“Gettin Up”,”You”, “Shaka” and “I Believe”  featuring De Angelo are laidback cool head knodin joints. It’s the goodness you would expect from Q Tip.

“Official” is an upbeat jazzy/R & B track. The organ based bassline reminds me of “Get it Together” The Beastie Boys song off the Ill Communication album.

On “Dance On Glass” Q Tip throws a curve ball at the listeners. It begins with an one minute acapella rap before the beat comes in. Beatwise it’s one of the best tracks on this release. The song is incredibly and deliciously dope.

“Fight/Love” featuring Raphael Saadiq is pretty representative of the overall sound of the album. If you like that joint you’ll love this album. The sound of tracks don’t deviate from this type of jazzy souful hip hop. The exception being “Manwomanboogie” featuring Amanda Diva. It’s a soulful bboy break track you would expect the likes of DJ Z Trip would throw on in his set.

Much of the album sounds pretty much the same. All the songs are pretty much on point. There’s no fillers on this release. So there is really only two standout tracks.

“Move”, a J Dilla produced  fast paced groovy song I know most will feel. A good track to rock a party. “Life is Betta” featuring Norah Jones,..OMG… is an unbelievable soulful song on an incredible soulful album. Which is a hard feat to accomplish. It’s destined to be a classic.

From the beginning to the end Q Tip’s “The Renaissance” is solid release. It’s definitely worth your loot. The album is set to be released on November 4th but you can preorder now.

BUY THE ALBUM

 

 Official - Q-Tip [3:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Life is Better - Q-Tip ft. Norah Jones [4:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!