| Reviews Reviews are based on a point system. 1=bootee, 10=masterpiece |
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| We From The LBC: This DPG compilation is definitely on point. Big Hollis produced all of the tracks on the album and it is nothing but fire. Cd is nottin but heat from the get go and the Outlawz, Mac Dre are just killing them. But I am still a little angry that the album does not have any Daz production and the songs do not have that booming bass that I am used to. While the production sometimes leaves a lot to be desired, the overall effort is worth listening to. There are a couple of tracks that are worth noting. The Snoop Dogg track is good and the song with Doggy's Angels (We Run This Shit) is bananas! Their flows are tight. The Big Hollis/DPGC combo definitely have potential. But this new cd re-instates that the DPGC is still on top of their game. 7.75 OUT OF 10 |
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| Left Eye- Supernova: During 1999, the late Lisa Lopes (aka Left Eye), feeling somewhat restless in a group setting after learning of some uncomplimentary things that her fellow TLC bandmates stated about her in an interview, issued a challenge to them: Let's all make solo CDs and see whose will sell the best. Tionne Watkins (aka T-Boz) and Rozanda Thomas (aka Chilli) refused, but Left Eye went ahead and recorded her own: SUPERNOVA, a straight hip-hop CD, which was released as an European import last year. I have to admire the effort Lisa put into this project, even though I've always felt that she did her best work as part of a group. SUPERNOVA is an eclectic mix of different beats that will have you listening and dancing at the same time. With the exception of a few cuts, this CD showcases Left Eye's talents in a way we probably would never see within the bounds of TLC. A bold statement of confidence, it seemed as if she felt she had something to prove, because she addresses some personal issues in some of her raps that are very telling. She even talks about the internal troubles in the group, and the message pretty much expresses to her TLC sisters: "Hey, recognize...I love TLC, but I have a professional life beyond this group...don't be upset because I choose to live it." She may very well have been saying that to them because with all the people she thanked on the album, she didn't mention them once. But then at the very bottom of the liner notes she says: "If there's anyone I forgot, please forgive me." Take that as you will. There is a collaboration with her on again-off again boyfriend football star Andre Rison, "Rags To Riches" which is interesting, but to me Rison's presence was kind of annoying. Also the late Tupac Shakur, who dated Lisa for a while, is included on a track called "Untouchable", where Left Eye does a Natalie Cole: adding her vocals to an old track that featured Shakur and making it into a Left Eye featuring 2Pac song(a incredible song, with a str8 bananas verse from Pac!). "True Confessions" really shows Left Eye's ability to tell a story through her raps. I found the best songs on this CD were the dance jams "Hot!" and "Jenny", the spirituality of "The Universal Quest" and the haunting "A New Star Is Born", where she talks about death and is dedicated to her deceased father. Instead of straight rapping, she speaks over the music about how her life was affected by him. What is especially sad is when she says "So, Dad, I know you're listening...how ya been? Oh, I'm doin' fine...just passing time...submerged in sin...Everytime I take a bath, I just get all dirty again...and tryin' to cleanse my mind, cleanse my soul, and get in...into that place you've been. No, I'm not tryin' to rush anything...I just wanna visit you...because I miss you." It's heartbreaking, because aside from the fact that Lisa was recording with TLC again (which was great news to fans of the group, like me) now we know that Lisa unfortunately would get her wish to see her father sooner than she might have expected. It will bring a tear to your eye. The world lost a great talent in Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes. For those of you who never really understood her, listening to TLC is great. But SUPERNOVA is really Lisa's musical legacy. After hearing it, you will then comprehend this "crazy" chick a little more. RIP Lisa. 8 OUT OF 10 |