TASH - Control Freek | Review By: Conan Milne


Release Date : 30 June 2009

Label : Amalgam Digital

Rating: 3.5/5

 

Dub Quotable: Heavy on the brand of intoxicating West Coast Hip-Hop he helped define, the record is every bit as unforgiving in its sound as its title would imply.

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The title of Tash’s latest album suggests an uncompromising release. Best known as one-third of the illustrious Alkaholiks, it’s been nearly a decade since the artists solo debut, Rap Life. Finally delivering his sophomore LP, Control Freek has an eager Tash making up for lost time. Heavy on the brand of intoxicating West Coast Hip-Hop he helped define, the record is every bit as unforgiving in its sound as its title would imply.

“The Book Ch. 1” immediately confirms Tash’s independence. Beginning with an erratic female chant, the track swiftly gives way to eerie violin swirls and sullen, shuddering chords. Over this hypnotic melody, the MC is frank in pondering his relevance. “If I wrote a story ‘bout my life, would anybody read it? / Probably not, and if y’all did, you probably wouldn’t believe it,” is his intriguing conclusion. It’s a brief yet fascinating introduction, with the famously drunken lyricist delivering an opener that's ironically sobering. Intentional or not, the track wisely separates ‘Tash, the solo artist’ from ‘Tash, the revered Alkaholik.’

Successor “Go West” is the obligatory ode to California. However, both stark drums and Tash’s playful flow save the aspiring anthem from redundancy. Over the lumbering production, Tash prompts chuckles as he spits, “A Bentley? Nah, that’s out of my price range.” By the time the upbeat, tourist-attracting chorus begins, the artists relentless enthusiasm will have listeners won over. “How Hi Can U Get,” meanwhile, is another potentially trite effort that avoids being labeled so. Brooding static backs Flashy Tashy and an expertly recruited B-Real, who has made rapping authoritatively about marijuana an art form.

Having already spent the best part of his career detailing getting buzzed, it’s no surprise that Tash’s rare introspection proves particularly compelling. On the woozy, decidedly Los Angeles “Closer,” our mature host counts his blessings. “When the money get low, that’s when the friends will go / But don’t ask me how that feels ‘cause I just don’t know,” he raps defiantly. The following bars are a sly caution to those blindly chasing rap stardom, as he adds, “Go ask somebody that had it all and lost it / That ran with fifty niggas, then ask how much it cost him.”

Control Freek undoubtedly has Tash delivering the type of music he wanted to make. Free of major label intervention, the album balances passionate accounts of sunny L.A. life (“City’s Out”) with occasionally darker asides (“Don’t Wanna Kill U.”) From a conceptual standpoint, it’s far from revolutionary. Still, it’s hard not to appreciate the artists exuberant charm and inspired self-reliance. Tash is calling the shots here, and listeners will roundly welcome his decisions.



 

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The views expressed here are those of the authors and not
necessarily those of Dubcnn as an organisation.
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