Transit

Taste of the Taurus, a demo CD by London, ON's Transit, is drenched in synthetic strings and keys and smooth flows touching on tried and true topics like weed, better days and the near-requisite ode to mothers. It's a demo, so the beats occasionally sound cheap, but all three producers (DJ Tonic, KX and Transit himself) contribute bangers and boners. Transit opens the 11-song EP with a self-produced soothing beat that narrowly avoids being too long. He follows that up with "High Days," a ganja-rific channelling of Snoop Dogg, not so much in vocals but in overall atmosphere, complete down to the g-funk chorus. It's his own song and it's good, but following the chilled-out intro instrumental it leads to thoughts of "Oh no, another weed album." But it's not. Taste of the Taurus is so much more. Sure, there are some moments where Transit's flow is a little rough, but most often this Collapsyllables MC is one with the beat. And except for the corny chorus on "Sunny Days," a feel good track à la Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince's "Summertime," Taste is actually an enjoyable listen. Especially the chunk of good songs in the middle that work well together, beginning with the violin-heavy battle cry of "The Tradition," followed by another smoked-out instrumental, the first chapter in a tale of a young bitty entitled "Bobby Blue," to finally end with the braggadocio of "Playerz." "Transmit" and "Mama Bear (Mothers Anthem)" bring it down a couple of notches until "The Music," a great hip-hop/jazz-funk synthesis that feels live, thanks to bass by Rae Rock, with a nice backing vocal assist from Ariel. It may not be flawless, but Taste of the Taurus exposes an MC headed in the right direction. It will be interesting to hear what's next.