Talib Kweli
Eardrum
4.5/5

Who It’s For: Fans of good hip hop
Sounds Like: Kweli’s back!

Attention doubters! Man up and shut up! Although he’ll argue otherwise (see “Say Something”) Kweli is pretty much back. Kweli keeps creeping’ towards living legend status, you cant deny it as much as you might want to, but the filler that his last album Beautiful Struggle had on it has been cut out and the tight production of previous albums Liberation, Quality and Reflection Eternal’s Train Of Thought is back up to par.

A new who’s who precedent has been set with the production roster on Eardrum and believe it or not, coming from the pop mainstream is Black Eyed Peas’ Will.I.Am (coming through with two of the hottest tracks on the disc in “Say Something” and “Hot Thing”) and new king of pop Justin Timberlake (yes he does produce the closing track “The Nature”). Additional production on the disc contributed by the legendary Madlib, Hi-Tek, and Pete Rock. I guess that Kanye West guy does a song too, which is pretty good, but it only adds to the fact that lately Mr. West seems to do better producing for others than for himself. As for rap guests, the legendary blast master KRS-ONE adds his Midas touch of hip hop to the track “The Perfect Beat” and Jean Grae spits razor blades as only she can on “Say Something.” An appearance of the underground super group, and new signing to Kweli’s Blacksmith label, Strong Arm Steady, contribute their West Coast vibes to “Go With Us.” Adding their soulful voices are Will.I.Am and Justin Timberlake, & Rasta reggae king Sizzla Kalonji appears towards the album’s close.

Kweli’s lyricism is sharper than ever and song topics range from soulful to controversial. Songs “Holy Moly” and “Hostile Gospel” touch on organized religion while “Hot Thing” is all about praising the one you love. Talib Kweli can basically do anything he wants and Eardrum proves it. If there’s one complaint about Eardrum, and its VERY minor, is that the disc runs quite long, having 20 tracks in total, but pretty much every song is worth a listen, so buckle down for a long road trip or a workout and throw this disc on.

Track Listing:

1. Everything Man
2. NY Weather Report
3. Hostile Gospel
4. Say Something Feat. Jean Grae
5. Country Cousins Feat. UGK & Raheem Devaughn
6. Holy Moly
7. Eat To Live
8. In The Mood Feat. Kanye West & Roy Ayers
9. Soon The New Day Feat. Norah Jones
10. Give ‘Em Hell Feat. Coi Mattison & Lyfe Jennings
11. More Or Less Feat. Dion
12. Stay Around
13. Hot Thing Feat. WillI.I.Am
14. Space Fruit (interlude)
15. The Perfect Beat Feat. KRS-ONE
16. Oh My Stars Feat. Musiq Soulchild
17. Listen!!!
18. Go With Us Feat. Strong Arm Steady
19. Hostile Gospel pt.2 (Deliver Me) Feat. Sizzla
20. The Nature Feat. Justin Timberlake

- Michael Kopko