Sleep

The sophomore album by Oldominion’s Sleep opens with a fictional character complaining that Sleep’s debut album, Riot by Candlelight, just didn’t have the fast flows that Sleep demonstrates live and that "it sucked.” Unfortunately, I have to agree somewhat as that album felt flat, but Sleep has certainly redeemed himself with this more up-tempo, hype follow-up. After the complaints in the intro, Sleep jumps right into some double time raps and continues to flip back and forth throughout both that song and the rest of the album. Whether the production tends towards the mellow vibe of "Say Goodbye,” with its lullaby chime that will get heads nodding to sleep (as well as heads nodding to Sleep), or the Slick Rick-influenced "Testimony,” Christopher is a much more exciting album. Sleep delves into his life for some serious subjects and a sense of humour. On "Fall Guy,” a song about the difficulties of finding success in the music industry, Sleep relates a discouraging story about an investor who assumes that in return Sleep should take the fall for his felony, while "Guys Like Me” is a goofy look at the woes of being just another rapper attempting to get the girl that is out of his league. However, the funniest moment might be the lengthy "I’m So Techno (skit),” which pays homage to the Black Sheep’s infamous "I dreamt I was hard” intro. And with Abstract Rude and Masta Ace making a guest appearance on Christopher, the one thing you won’t dream of is sleeping on Sleep.