a review of "LIQUID SWORDS" please...

[DeaDSouLjaH]

can someone pls post a review of GZA;'s "LIQUID SWORDS"

thanx

[ImmortalOne]

One of my fav albums ever.......ill review it for you later today. My reviews are pretty in depth, so they take time, but Ill have it up for sometime today....peace.

[ImmortalOne]

Wu Tang Clan was one of the most dominant groups in hip hop of the mid 90's. They were known for their diversity, as they had 9 members, each with his own style and personality. You had the charismatic Method Man, the humerous ODB, and streetwise raps of Raekwon and Ghostface, and the lyricism of Deck, and our guest of honor, the GZA. GZA released his album Liquid Swords in 1995, smack in the middle of the Wu's reign. It was the 5th straight Wu banga, and considered by some, to be the best yet. GZA is known for his punchlines and quick, consistant flow. He displays this immediatly on the first song, Liquid Swords. It starts off with a dark Kung Fu intro [there are many of these on the album, and it adds to the effect of the album in my opinion], and then GZA slices into the track like scissors through paper. Its a battle track to MC's that have "lyrics that are weak like clock radio speakers"............The next track is even more amazing, "Duel Of The Iron Mic". This song is lyricism at its finest, and RZA drops what I consider one of the greatest beats ever. The bassline is just bannanas, and GZA, Deck, and Masta Killa all tear the mic up to create one of the best Wu posse cuts ever. Though GZA's forte is lyricism, he can tell a story too.....Cold World is a story about life in the projects, and Killah Hills 10304 tells the story of a Middle Eastern terrorist. Conceptually, GZA is way ahead of his time. The song Labels is a story with the names of various record lables being used as metaphors to warn artists who are new to becareful. I Gotcha Back, Gold, and Swordsman are all dark and gritty tracks. There are no commercial songs on this album at all. The closest one is Shadowboxin' w/Method Man, which was the first single if im not mistaken.

Overall, GZA [and RZA, who deserves at least equal credit for his brilliant production] put out one of the best hip hop albums ever made. All the beats are on point, the lyrics are some of the best EVER on a hip hop album, and the concepts are excellent: never too abstract, never too cliche. This is arguably the best Wu album ever, right up there with 36 Chambers and Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. My only gripe: there are a couple songs where the lyrics outshine the production, such as Labels. This is a great song, but I think it is one of RZA's weaker beats, though its still not bad.

1. Liquid Swords - 5/5
2. Duel Of The Iron Mic - 5/5 [my fav track on the album]
3. Living In The World Today - 4.5/5
4. Gold - 4.5/5
5. Cold World - 5/5
6. Labels - 4.75/5
7. 4th Chamber - 5/5
8. Shadowboxin - 5/5
9. Killah Hills 10304 - 5/5
10. Investigative Reports -5/5
11. Swordsman - 5/5
12. I Gotcha Back - 5/5
13. B.I.B.L.E. - 5/5


Overall, this is a near flawless album, and should be in every hip hop fans collection!! You'll especially love this album if you like that dark, grimey east coast sound.

[verbalassaulta]

right on point with your review...the good old days of wu tang...how things have changed