Murs

A member of veteran Bay Area crew Living Legends, Murs is increasingly making a name outside of the collective. Following up last year’s critically acclaimed The End of the Beginning, Murs undisputedly keeps the momentum going by tapping 9th Wonder, the producer behind Little Brother’s superlative The Listening and the initiator of the recent album remix phenomenon for the duration. While 9th Wonder’s soulful sound replete with his jarring snares at first sight seems an ill-fitting environment for Murs’ lackadaisical California drawl, it actually turns out to be a winning combination. Despite 9th’s recent notoriety, Murs’ honest warts and all approach that invites us into his often contradictory state of mind ensures he’s the focal point. Murs’ relationships with women illustrate this well. When Murs tries out the player role he is unafraid to show his insecurities, vulnerability and his confusion between lust and love. It becomes clear the shy, awkward Murs encountering countless rejection from the opposite sex on "The Rain” is probably closer to what he’s really about. Through his frank disclosure, it’s evident that Murs is wrestling with themes of responsibility and maturity and often fleshes this out with vivid narrative scenarios. On the three-part beat suite of "Walk Like A Man” which explores themes of grief, vengeance and ultimately regret he’s aspiring to an internal moral code. It’s this approach Murs applies to "And This Is For…,” where among other things he addresses white privilege of hip-hop fans and artists. Whether you agree with Murs or not, on this point, it’s tough to deny his willingness to show the emotional complexity beyond the hard-shell exterior throughout is what makes this a compelling document of self-articulation.