Nobody

Soulmates

BY Thomas QuinlanPublished Nov 1, 2000

Beautiful. That's the only word that really deserves the honour of describing Nobody's debut. Soulmates is the perfect instrumental album to get smoked-out to. It's the well-needed replacement (or follow-up) for DJ Frane's Fantastic Boatride, from last year. The album is full of smooth, laid-back instrumental soul vibes that have enough change throughout to maintain the interest of even the most blunted. What's amazing is that Nobody can sustain it even when songs break the six-minute mark. And as a special bonus, Soulmates is not just an instrumental album. L.A.'s Nobody gives as much attention to the beats he makes for his guests as he does to the straight instrumentals. Medusa breaks down the difference between the mainstream and the underground on "Fiend or the Fix," her best work yet; 2Mex drops some of his unique word play on "Shades of Orange" and Freestyle Fellowship and Abstract Rude are impressive on "Planets Ain't Aligned" and "Inner Eye," respectively. Plus, Freestyle Fellowship's Aceyalone makes another appearance for the CD-only bonus cut, "Faces of the Deep." The vocal tracks divide up the instrumental tracks and interludes nicely, best among those being the tribal soul of "Outbreak (Extended Solo Version)," the violin and drum heavy orchestrations of "Green Means" and the fluid spaciness of "Syde Tryps." Soulmates was four years in the making, and that care and commitment shows.
(Ubiquity)

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