[The Ecstatic] Mos Def | Album Review

[The Ecstatic] by Mos Def is an album for Mos Def fans to me and not necessarily for the masses. I'm not saying the masses won't love it, I'm just saying that I think this one's for us. The music production by Madlib & his younger brother Oh No is reminiscent of what I can only describe as a classic hip hop sound. You'll think they dug through many an album searching for rarely heard snippets of little know artists to sample. In this day and age of only sampling familiar sounds or HHR (hit-record-recycling), it's refreshing to hear. Mos' lyrical skills are exactly what you'd expect...interesting, enlightening and entertaining...all at the same time. Sometimes you'll like a song as soon as you hear it and other times won't know what's going on until the Mos speaks. This album has a good mix of both of these kinds of songs. Now down to the specifics...

Eight of the 16 tracks are under 3 minutes long.* This was some what of a disappointment to me because many times these were some of the better cuts on the album. But 16 tracks on a project today is a rarity so he does get points for putting in work. Auditorium feat. Slick Ricktrack 3 is one of my favorites. And not just because it's 4 minutes and 35 seconds long. Classic music production, classic flow, and Slick Rick put in work. Sometimes artists put other artists on a song just because of "name/fame recognition"...this clearly isn't the case. When you hear it, you'll know "what it is!" Prioritytrack 5 is one of them "minute-something" songs I wish were at least 2 minutes long...enjoy it while it lasts. Quiet Dog Bite Hardtrack 6 puts me in the mind of that Will Smith joint "Switch"...ya'll remember that one? Well, it has a similar vibe but an all Mos Flow. Life in Marvelous Timestrack 7 is a picture painted from beat to verse...sure to be a hip hop head favorite. Listen to the intro of The Embassytrack 8...you'll never look at flying the same again. It's another "too short" favorite of mine. Mos gets bilingual on No Hay Nada Mastrack 9. Reminded me of this youtube clip I saw of Mos in a record store. When this guy asked him what he had in the bag...it was mostly Brazilian music. History feat. Talib Kwelitrack 15...it's a new Black Star song...need I say more? Another too damn short song...only 2 minutes 21 seconds. There are some other notable tracks but I think I've written enough to make my case. [The Ecstatic] by Mos Def is a refreshing new hip hop entry from track to verse. Although I don't think the masses will flock to this album, I'm confident that those of you who find new music from sources other than the TV and radio will enjoy this musical entry.

I give this album a 5.5 out of 7 Head Nods...(I had to take off points for them short ass songs;-) *2 of the 8 that are longer than 3 minutes are only 3 seconds over.

I'm Thed Weller and I approve this review.

Head Nod Scale

1=Don't waste your time like I did mine.
2=Waste your time like I did mine but I dare you to disagree.
3=Well, there was the single.
4=If it were a hand in spades there's "two and a possible".
5=It's a "good" album. Meaning at least 3 or 4 solid songs.
6=Really Good Project. Has the "Rewind Factor" more than once.
7=The number of completion. Great Album. Instant Classic.