If there’s a failing here, I might pick on the lyrics, which can delve into the cliché and inelegant. “Turn out Fine” winds up like Michael Ray and the Cosmic Krewe covering Katrina and the Waves, with McKenna singing, “Sun was shining on me/And the clouds all went away/Everything was perfect except for on detail/You been acting harsh to me/Our friendship is growing stale.” Later it becomes known, “You just keep on talking shit, and baby it’s got to end.”
But literature and pulp both have their place and Sly-Chi ought not be judged by the least important element here.
Instead, revel in the Marvin Gaye devotion of “Never Too Hard,” where Pierce turns in his best vocals and the finish, with gang vocals of the chorus and Pierce’s emotive pop-ins, is exquisite. Admire their dexterity on “Something Crazy,” which opens thoughtful, dark, and minor, but manages to ramp up with a bass strut and find a place for dueling MCs Gemini Jones and J Sizzor: “Sly-Chi and Ill Nat/How crazy is that?”
Follow the directions in “Panza Verde.” Just “get up and dance.” Sly-Chi give you every opportunity and all the space you could ever need.
On the Web
www.slychi.com
Sam Pfeifle can be reached atsam_pfeifle@yahoo.com.
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