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Pharoahe Monch Album: “Desire”
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Release Date:2007-01-01
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Type:Unknown
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Genre:Hip-Hop/Rap, East Coast Rap, Underground Hip-Hop
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Label:
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Explicit Lyrics:Yes
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UPC:0602517338593
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Review - :
What if {$Kool G Rap}'s second album came out approximately eight years after his first? That would be a period long enough to leap from {^Road to the Riches} to {^Roots of Evil}, over {^Wanted: Dead or Alive}, {^Live and Let Die}, and {^4, 5, 6}. While it's an unfair analogy to make -- for many reasons -- when talking about the frustrating lag between {^Internal Affairs} and {^Desire}, it's a helpful one to think about if you're approaching {^Desire} with the expectation of hearing Internal Affairs, Vol. 2. On {^Internal Affairs}, a track-to-track strongarm tactic to reach more ears without too many creative concessions, {$Pharoahe Monch} toughened up. It paid off to an extent: {&"Simon Says"} and {&"Right Here"} were loved by plenty of people who didn't know {$Organized Konfusion} from {$Organized Noize}. {$Pharoahe} could've attempted to capitalize on the momentum, but he crept low, releasing the occasional single and compilation track (like {&"Agent Orange"} and {&"What Is the Law"}), and collaborating when the right situation presented itself (like {$Talib Kweli}'s {&"Guerrilla Monsoon Rap"} and {$J Dilla}'s {&"Love"}). As a result, {^Desire} is a taut and focused work that energizes, packed densely with typically {$Monch}-like quotables that might take a couple listens to catch. Production-wise, it's quite different from {^Internal Affairs}, incorporating gritty {\gospel}, anthemic {\funk}, and laid-back {\soul} (not to mention an ambitious, sprawling, three-part finale), along with a measured amount of material that sounds more like a logical extension of {$Pharoahe}'s past. Altogether, it's a brighter, bolder set of tracks. The lone trip-up is a well-intentioned cover of {$Public Enemy}'s {&"Welcome to the Terrordome"}; despite a relevant added verse, no one can reinterpret {$Chuck D} and {$the Bomb Squad} at the peak of their powers without coming up a little short. This is the kind of album that could only be made by a veteran who knows the difference between running your mouth and speaking when you have something to say, and not many elder MCs can say they were as vital in their mid-thirties as they were in their early twenties. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
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