Indie Music

Hip Hop CD Reviews Artist: All Crazy Title: Sex, Drugs and Hip-Rock Website: http://www.myspace.com/allcrazyphilly Style: Rock-Rap Rating: 5 out of 10 By Senior Writer C.W. Ross All Crazy is one of those bands that your either going to love them or totally hate their music. Unfortunately I fall in the later group. While I can really appreciate what this multi-racial band out of Philadelphia is trying to do they just go too far with somethings for my taste. The band's press material says that, "All Crazy has been working for the past few years to bring the spirit of brotherly love back to its native city." I don't see it the band's song lyrics they sound more divisive then pulling together to me. The lyrics are plastered with unnecessary multiple uses of the n and b-words. Don't get me wrong a few of the tracks push positive messages like trying to take a stand and being a real man, finding the right woman, and trying to lift yourself up. The negatives though where just too many to overcome the few positives that I found. It's a shame because the band has some really talented artist in it that manages to blend rock and hip-hop styles of music in a cohesive way. For some reason, someone not in the band named Duby has several speaking tracks on the release that just ground everything to a halt. Maybe I'm just too old to have caught the hip fun side of the songs but in my mind if you want to pull people together you don't have telephone calls from angry girlfriends cursing you out and then describe them as a, 'have a laugh track'. If you're a regular reader of my reviews you know that I try to give each CD that I review a fair shake but this one just missed the mark for me. Who knows it might work for a younger hipper listener? Artist: Reality Serum Title: Hop In Website: http://www.myspace.com/realityserum CDBaby: http://cdbaby.com/cd/realityserum2 Style: Hip-Hop/Alternative/Ambient Label: Supple Records Rating: 8.9 out of 10 By Senior Writer C.W. Ross When I first hear about Reality Serum and their music I was going to pass on reviewing it but thanks to Rob from Supple Records I decided to give it a good listen. I want to thank Rob because after giving Hop In a listen I was sold on the inventive style of music found on it. The band describes their sound as 'Trans-urban', which blends, Alternative Hip Hop and guitar driven Ambient music styles of music together. Reality Serum is Camanche (words & mic.) along with Twizle (instruments & backing vocals). The list of different instruments that Twizle plays on Hop In is a long one that includes, guitar, bas, drum machine, Roland baseline, wood flute, harmonica, tambourine, and whistle. Before getting together in 2004 both Camanche and Twizle had been involved in music and developed their own styles before coming together to form Reality Serum and this wonderful mixture of musical styles. That mixture can be found on Hop In with tracks like, "Inside Out" and "Bring It On" featuring more of a Hip-Hop style while the tracks, "Breathless" and "My Life" have more of an Ambient lead to them. The rest of the tracks found on Hop In have more of a mixed groove to them. Once my ears got adjusted to the mixture of Hip- Hop vocals and Ambient sounds I really appreciated the uniqueness of Reality Serum's sound. This release has been out since March of 2007 and the band is already back in the studio working on their next release. So now is the perfect time to pick up this release. If you visit the band's MySpace site you can buy Reality Serum's, Hop In at a set your own price + $2.99 for shipping deal. Do yourself a favor and open up your mind like I did to the new musical experience that can be found on Hop In.