Soothsayer

Another solid release that should help establish Mutant Sound System as one of New York’s finest hip-hop labels. Although not strictly hip-hop, with its inclusion of drum and bass, R&B and reggae sounds, the constant rhymes and hip-hop beats make it most identifiable as a hip-hop album. Joining Soothsayer for Zen Turtle are a number of his Mutant Sound System and Wordsound cohorts, among them Ish, LCU, Dr Israel, Divaship, and Spectre. But, for many the highlight might be the appearance of Jungle Brother Mike G on “Down The Road.” There are other great moments, though, including “Every So Often,” the previously released “Can You Dig It?” featuring Jake, “Soothsay vs. Euphonic II” featuring LCU and Ish, and the Spectre-ish “Krush” featuring (surprise!) Spectre. At first glance it may seem guest-heavy but considering that Soothsayer is most predominantly a producer, the large number of guest MCs makes sense. Zen Turtle is much better than most compilation albums produced by one producer.