All Natural

pairing of Tone B. Nimble and Capital D have unleashed their second full-length through their own All Natural label. Their debut, No Additives, No Preservatives, was an extremely strong debut and turned many heads, especially considering that they gave birth to that effort with hardly any outside help, as far as distribution and spreading the word are concerned. All Natural have followed up their underground victory with a sophomore release in Second Nature, and by the time one reaches "Queens Get The Money," it's apparent they've succeeded in what they did so well before: creating refreshing beats. With all the generic and simplistic hooks clogging up the record store shelves, memorable hooks like the bottle-clanging break of "Elements of Style" are very much welcome. Not only are Second Nature's beats on point, but they can also equally match that with impressive lyrical skills - a one-two combo that is slowly becoming a rare commodity in hip-hop. The record isn't without some minor flaws, though, for the album tends to get weak when they come too hard ("Vegetarian"), especially considering how well they flow on lazier tracks than screaming their lyrics. Still, another strong step for the All Natural Inc., proving again that the finest records of their genre are being served to the underground.