REVIEW: Blu - Soul Amazing: part one

There was a time where I looked at him as the next up. I saw the next decade of Hip-hop led by this West Coast scientist. Cats like this rarely get steady radio spins outside of their own city, but I felt like his music was so flawless no one could front on him. A true student of the golden era, Blu dropped the timeless classic "Below the Heavens" with Exile in 2007.

...and to be honest, thas pretty much it. Don't get me wrong, he has several other projects, Johnson & Jonson being the only one that sounds professionally mastered. But all of his other projects, from Jesus, to Her Favorite Colo(u)r and Give Me The Flowers are all pretty poor albums.

We can add "Soul Amazing: part one" to that list, but for different reasons. The music isn't particularly horrible, but the way it's put together is just amateurish. Let me be clear, this is a compilation of tracks he has recorded since Below the Heavens, but he finds a way to ruin his own genius. It's so sad to hear a dude that's so gifted miss the mark in obvious areas, like talking all over your shit! If the album allowed you to zone out and enjoy Blu's exceptional lyricism, you'd see this compilation is everything that defines Blu. But for some reason he speaks over every track DJ Clue / Envy / Kay Slay style and blurts out the corniest most uninspired ad-libs over otherwise quality music.

You shouldn't have to drop any amount of money for a compilation that has anyone tossing DJ ad-libs. The man finally blesses us with good music but won't get out of his own way. It might be hard to understand without actually listening yourself.

Stream the album here

Let us know what you think @BestInTheMix @TwonJonson