observe and raku

When apples are oranges, it wasn't the beats or the rhymes that made your favorite albums so good. It is too easy to look at hip hop like basketball: an accumulation of stats, games won, a perfect season. The comparison doesn't hold up under scrutiny. Hip hop is more art than recreation-- the rules change too frequently for anyone to coast on mastering essential techniques. What gave your favorite albums worth was what the artists brought to the table that was new, that hadn't been heard before. People forget that, though, and it is to the detriment of all.

This Voyage Called Life is as technically proficient as the next album, and exactly as much so as the one before it. Although Raku (beats) and Observe (rhymes) have both the skill and the talent to make names for themselves in music, they don't have that special sauce that artists need to become viable. There are moments of wonderful sound and technical proficiency on this album, but there is nothing here to assure you that the next disc in rotation couldn't be better. The proceedings are lacking a certain personality, charisma, chutzpah, or joie de vivre, which makes for a restless listen and occasional passing enjoyment.

Don't let this lead you to believe that Raku can't make an impressive beat. "This Voyage Called Life" features an ominous choir and deep brass over sharp drum patterns. Anyone rhyming over this beat will sound good, so Observe can't disappoint. Maybe the Wisconsin duo needs a DJ; maybe a guest vocalist would bring some life to the end product. The end result, however, is that, though everything they do is good, nothing is exceptional. Other songs like "The Pursuit of Happiness," "Everywhere," and "The Afterglow" fall into a similar rut. Each has an interesting beat and skilled rhymes, but, by the beginning of the next song, the charm is forgotten.

A few tracks do stand out, though. "913 Days" has a simplicity that is complicated in just the right way by the sampled singing. "Lovethyself" has a wonderfully slow bass crawl that Observe plays well over. "Rainwalker" shows the potential this duo has; this song has an attitude (albeit one borrowed from Styles of Beyond) that finds itself totaling more than the sum of its parts. A quick perusal of the liner notes reveals that the latter two of these tracks are produced by the duo as a group, instead of Raku working solo. Maybe that is where the problem truly lies, that Observe finds himself more comfortable over beats of his own design. If that is so, that would explain why this release feels more like a temporary association, a Marvel Team-Up, than an actual pairing of like-minded artists.