My Review of Little Brother's LeftBack

So, me and Little Brother have a relatively new relationship. I wish I knew about them when they first came out. Unfortunately, those days, I was more into Will Smith and N'Sync (DJM...)

But, since I first got on the LB train, I've been riding and enjoying the trip. Little Brother has come to represent what is right in Hip-Hop these days. In the days of "All The Way Turnt Up", LB shines bright like a prism. It seems, however, that this is the last stop. Time for me to gather my travel pillow and continue exploring. LeftBack is Little Brother's last album, and as bittersweet as that is, I'm going to try and conduct my first album review.

(I won't say how I managed to be able to listen to this. All I'll say is...times is hard.)

1. Curtain Call - The first released single for this album, I hopped on it with the quickness. For me, this song defines bittersweet. 'Te and Pooh both briefly summarize their LB journey on a track produced by Khrysis. 'Te spits with his signature 'real talk', while I thought that Pooh was in rare form. He usually gets overshadowed by Phonte's lyrical prowess, but I think Pooh really cleared his throat on this jam. Definitely a fave.



2. Table for Two - A relationship song, I personally enjoyed Yahzarah's hook. Jozeemo's verse was a nice surprise, kinda like the non-trap star's Jeezy. This song was the album's "Baby-I-don't-wanna-fight-no-mo'" jam. Not that bad - I'd like to see a video for this one. The concept should be BET/MTV friendly enough to be fleshed out. As usual, 'Te's sense of humor comes through for realz. "Ya'll take a check?"

3. Tigallo for Dolo - I'm totally feeling the bass on this one. I wanna ride around town with the windows down, etc. Incredibly honest, Phonte comes through by himself, sounding off on a couple of issues. And when I say honest, I mean, that I have rarely heard emcees render themselves so bare with such artistic self-disclosure. This isn't a confessional, just a real individual, spitting real talk. Nuff said.

4. Revenge - Honestly speaking, with a title like Revenge, I was expecting either 'Te to completely spaz out on this. Pooh did pretty good, but *Kayneshrug*. Maybe this beat should've been given to Meth and Red or someone with that gritty feel. It's not a bad song...but I was expecting more. The set-up was there...Ah! This song feels like it should've been on a mixtape. The two featured verses? Not really necessary for this album.

5. So Cold - HOJ-mate Chaundon comes through for a visit on this track, and I actually like his flow. He's rocked with LB before, so he's no stranger. The beat had me feeling real chill-like, which isn't a bad thing. This'll sound bad, but...I liked Chaundon's verse the most. "Bring it to ya chest/Now you all Lil' Weezy..."

6. Second Chances - Off the first beat, I liked this song. When Bilal started singing...my expectations changed. Not really for the worst. Another relationship song, I don't totally dislike it...I just really wish Bilal wasn't on it. D-Brock saved it, in my opinion.

7. Go Off Go On - Pooh goes in! OMG, I feel so happy to hear this man do WORK, compared to other, more recent LB songs. Phonte, meanwhile, seems to be coasting. He didn't do bad, but I've heard him dish considerable heat on other joints. This is, however, another one of those songs that seems to have been more suited for a mixtape than an album release.

8. What We Are - Ooh. This is the "side-jawn" track. Pooh really comes through on this track. Like...I imagine it to be that moment when your son comes home with an A+...you knew he could do it! The only awkwardness is that I can't 100% relate to it...but I feel it, all the same.

9. After the Party (rmx) - I personally am not a fan of folk re-releasing songs from previous albums on completely new albums. I figure, if you're dropping a whole new album, why not complete it with some brand new jams? I heart this song from GetBack...and I'm feeling the new production. But the original will always be the original...try listening to Akon's Wanna Be Starting Something. No go.

10. Two Step Blues (rmx) - See Above.

11. Get Enough Pt. 2 - It was this song that made me realize that the Little Brother of yore was gone. Farewell to "The Listening", because this sound was vastly different. In any event, hearing Khrysis on the mic was an interesting listen. That's about all I can say about this one.

12. Before the Night is Over - A smooth joint, I'm really feeling this one. Probably one of the few that make sense to be on this album. This actually feels like it belongs. The sound is more Foreign Exchange than Little Brother...

13. 24 - The beat KNOCKS...this dude Torae does work. As does 'Te. As does Pooh. A thorough track, this one is a keeper.

14. Star - The Haymaker, this track wasn't even supposed to see the light of day. So I'm not going to talk about it. I won't even supply a link. I will say that this is the last time that 9th Wonder was with Pooh and Phontigga...maybe forever.

All in all...LB fans will bump it, regardless if it sucked or not. Fortunately, it doesn't suck. But...I found myself hoping for a "The Black Album"-esque bow out. Some songs didn't seem to fit at all...it ended up feeling like a collection of unreleased tracks and Saturday night freestyles. I was hoping and wishing for something like another "The Minstrel Show". The thing is...this is not it, and they are not the old Little Brother we first heard. Phonte is working with The Foreign Exchange and more endeavors of grown folk music; Pooh is working his solo dolo muscle. As far as this album...I would get it, simply because...this is it.

Standout Tracks:
Curtain Call
Tigallo for Dolo
Go Off Go On
24
Star