CD Reviews

Sollilaquists of Sound | No More Heroes

Anti- (2009)

By CHRIS FARAONE | July 7, 2009

3.5 Stars

I've heard that the occasional rose is known to grow from concrete, but from tourist-trap strip malls like Orlando? Of course, none of the Solillaquists of Sound (S.O.S.) is originally from Florida, and that begins to explain how they could compose an eclectic cornucopia as sweet as No More Heroes — the follow-up to their 2006 debut, As If We Existed.

Like the Flobots, Boston's Foundation Movement, and other effective socially responsible outfits, SOS understand that messages are meaningless without melody. And beats they have aplenty, thanks to their universally inspired in-house producer, DiViNCi. Every track here has hella soul, but that's the only constant; whereas "Bulletproof" and "Heroes" are straight underground fodder, the lighter "Popcorn" has "Hey Ya" crossover potential.

No More's runaway winner is "The Curse," an Enya-esque aural-gasm so aesthetically pristine, it takes a dozen spins to confirm your hunch that it's an instant classic. The same goes for the Chali 2na–touched "Death of the Muse," a J Dilla dedication whose download proceeds benefit the late producer's "Ma Dukes." The first SOS disc was underwhelming, but that's not necessarily a bad thing; given Swamburger's enlightened pop sensibility and Alexandrah's varsity vocals, their improvement could and should evoke some well-deserved Fugee comparisons.

Topics: CD Reviews , Entertainment, Hip-Hop and Rap, Music, More

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