The other day, my colleague Calum Slingerland asked me what's the first thing that grabs me when I listen to a new hip-hop album; I responded that it's a combination of the beat and the timbre of the rapper's voice, and that I don't usually parse the lyrics until a little later.
With that in mind, VOIR DIRE is instantly inviting. The Alchemist stitches together more gorgeous soul samples and beatless beauties, while Earl Sweatshirt has one of the nicest-sounding voices in all of hip-hop: a rich, deep drawl that effortlessly glides through tongue-twisting wordplay, the aural equivalent of watching a bodybuilder pirouette, even when I have trouble following what he's actually rapping about.
Earl's last few albums have been made up of murky collages and bite-sized tracks. With 11 songs in just 27 minutes, VOIR DIRE is characteristically small-scale, although it's actually his longest album in eight years. It's a pleasure to hear him finally stretch out, even just a little bit, as the Alchemist continues his golden run of excellent albums.
(Warner Records)With that in mind, VOIR DIRE is instantly inviting. The Alchemist stitches together more gorgeous soul samples and beatless beauties, while Earl Sweatshirt has one of the nicest-sounding voices in all of hip-hop: a rich, deep drawl that effortlessly glides through tongue-twisting wordplay, the aural equivalent of watching a bodybuilder pirouette, even when I have trouble following what he's actually rapping about.
Earl's last few albums have been made up of murky collages and bite-sized tracks. With 11 songs in just 27 minutes, VOIR DIRE is characteristically small-scale, although it's actually his longest album in eight years. It's a pleasure to hear him finally stretch out, even just a little bit, as the Alchemist continues his golden run of excellent albums.
