Author Topic: PMD - The Awakening (Track by Track)  (Read 632 times)

willie_d

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PMD - The Awakening (Track by Track)
« on: August 03, 2003, 03:50:12 AM »


Maybe y'all know the feeling. You buy a record by one of your favorite mc's and, at first, you think: "What the fuck is this?" But you buying it anyway 'cause that's your man right there. And after every listen to it, the at first strange material develops into something dope. Really dope.
The Awakening proves that your first thought is not always the best thought. Parrish Smith, one half of the legendary EPMD, time warps himself to the year 2003 with a little jewel. PMD comes off with a strew of beatmakers, like DJ Muggs, Kutmasta Kurt, Pete Rock, DJ Honda, and the "E" in EPMD: Erick Sermon. The outcome is a mix of tracks ranging from hot like lava to poor.
One of the highlights of the album is "Straight from the heart". PMD, aka the Mic Doc, comes off on a up tempo beat, sounding like in his best days. Same goes for "Buckwild", produced by Pete Rock. PMD proves he mastered his skills. Other funk tracks include "'87 To the present", the Muggs produced "Champions", the EPMD-collab "Look at u now", and "Back to work", featuring K-Solo and Fat Joe.
There are some flaws, however. First, the reinjected EPMD-track "Still a customer" sounds totally unnecessary and straight boring. Also, the skits. Skits should only be put on a album when they add flavor to the album, otherwise they just get annoying. The album contains some skits consisting of brothers talking over the telephone, but when you listening to nearly two minutes of talk and can't understand a word that is said, what's the use?
All in all, The Awakening is a must for your hip hop collection. The mix of producers make it seem like a inconsistent whole, but the quality of most tracks is so dope, you can live with that. PMD proves he can stand on his own feet and makes you anticipate the new EPMD-album, later on this year, even more.

1  Intro - Skit.  
2  P's Still Dangerous - 3. Slow, nothing spectacular.
3  '87 To the Present - 4. Nice guitar sample, good hook.
4  Wake up - Interlude.
5  The Awakening - 3,5. Bombastic, synthesizers, eighties sound.
6  Know What I Mean? feat. RobJackson, 275, J-Boogie, and Don Fu-Quan. - 3. Bit dreary, weird track.
7  Hip hop 101 - 4. Cool track, suits the PMD, violins over relaxing drums.
8  Still a Customer, feat. 275. - 2. Unnecessary track, nothing near the original.
9  Straight from da Heart - 5. Highlight of the album and, arguably, of this year. No shit. Dope beats by Kutmasta Kurt and super scratch cuts.
10 Next Chapter, feat. Drayz from DAS EFX and Don Fu-Quan. - 4. Again bombastic, dark, but lovely.
11 Let it Go - Interlude.
12 Champions, feat. Cypress Hill. - 4. Muggs beat, portrays a boxing fight, just great.
13 EPMD Live Show - Interlude.
14 Look at U now, feat. EPMD - 4. EPMD reunion track. This is how hip hop was meant to be.
15 Back to Work, feat. K-Solo and Fat Joe. - 3,5. Not groundbreaking, good flows though.
16 All's I Need, feat. 275 and Don Fu-Quan - 3,5. Quite good, classical music sample, you get used to it.
17 L.I to L.E.S., feat. Feever, Rah, and Don Fu-Quan. - 2,5. Nothing special.
18 Buckwild - 4,5. Pete Rock beat, gutter sound, P comes off great, straight hip hop.

Overall rating: 3,5.
« Last Edit: August 04, 2003, 12:41:45 PM by willie_d »
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T.J.

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Re:PMD - The Awakening
« Reply #1 on: August 03, 2003, 07:57:09 PM »
could we get a review of each track separately?

kick ass album
 

Black_Smoke

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Re:PMD - The Awakening (Track by Track)
« Reply #2 on: August 23, 2003, 02:15:47 AM »
coo,thanks for the review




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