Ta'raach & The Lovelution

While MC/producer Ta’raach is currently based in L.A., the spirit of his debut, The Fevers, is firmly rooted in Detroit. Back in the day, Ta’Raach formed a group with such Motor City notables as Slum Village’s Elzhi, post-neo-soul crooner Dwele and Platinum Pied Piers’ Waajeed before any of them achieved success. And it was at the behest of the late Jay Dee that he made the move to California. It’s no wonder then, that Ta’raach’s debut favours the Dilla-fuelled, leftfield, dirty sound that permeates Detroit hip-hop, confirming his talent as a producer and MC dabbling in different genres. The foreboding insistence of "Hey!,” featuring Ta’Raach on the mic, is a high-water mark but the loose street soul of "Liberation’s Lullabye,” featuring vocalist Joy Jones, doesn’t rank far behind. While the collision of styles shows Ta’Raach’s versatility, the clunky sequencing and the random appearances of several vocalists don’t help to establish Ta’Raach’s personality. However, if it’s a grab bag of unvarnished, bass-heavy hip-hop you’re looking for, you could do a lot worse.