I don’t listen to a lot of rap or hip-hop, but I’m certainly not against checking something out when I read good things about a song, album, or artist. Mos Def has been on my radar for the past few years, mainly because I’ve always enjoyed his acting - either as a distrusting parole officer in The Woodsmen, as Jack Black’s video store partner in Be Kind Rewind, or as the legendary Chuck Berry in Cadillac Records. His sharp performances in these 3 very different parts got me interested in exploring his original career path - music.
The recently released The Ecstatic is his fourth solo album, and according to all I’ve read so far is his best since his debut, Black On Both Sides. The Ecstatic uses a combination of fresh samples, old-school beats (I‘m told they‘re “old school”, I really have no idea), live instruments, and Mos Def’s wise lyrics to make something that should cross genre borders and appeal to an wide audience. He recently performed “Quiet Dog” on Lettermen, which is a solid tune and a really great performance (see below), but it’s “Life In Marvelous Times” that’s really standing out to me so far. Along with “Quiet Dog”, the song is available to download through the RCRDLBL website. Check it out.
MP3 :: Life In Marvelous Times (follow link)
MP3 :: Quiet Dog (follow link)
(from The Ecstatic. Buy here)
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“Quiet Dog” on Lettermen:
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