Defari

It’s been a minute now since Defari issued hot twelve-inches and then dropped the Focused Daily album for heads. Since then he’s been down with Xzibit through his underwhelming Dr. Dre phase and even dropped a memorable verse on the good doctor’s Chronic 2001 album. It seems that on Odds and Evens, Defari is trying to reconcile both of these aspects of his career. Much of the first half of the album finds Defari aiming at producing club bangers and in a generally hedonistic mood. His inebriated affiliates the Alkoholiks are veterans of straddling this territory and lend their assists in the form of production and verses. Despite the help he receives in trying to attain the "xtra thump” he yearns for, and despite occasional noteworthy moments like "Pour More Likwit,” Defari’s efforts come up a bit short and aren’t helped much by the fact some of the beats sound like weak Dr. Dre facsimiles. He fares much better when hanging around his Dilated Peoples fam. DJ Babu contributes a seductively soulful remix of "Behold My Life” and Evidence authoritatively scores the no doubt heat of "Los Angelinos” and "Stay Bubblin’” featuring the always entertaining Phil Da Agony. Accordingly, Defari’s lyrical content is more substantial and complex on these tracks. It appears the intention is to capture casual fans with tracks like the single "Spell My Name” and mix tracks of this ilk with lyrical nuggets. This doesn’t give the album an overall coherence, but given the album title this may have been the intention all along.