Back on this review shit and today we have the latest album by ‘JFliz’ X ‘Tali Rodriguez’, a sequel record to their acclaimed ‘Devil At The Pulpit’ and so with the release of this anticipated next chapter, let’s talk about it!
This time round this is a 10-track project featuring the likes of
-DJ Decepta
-Crotona P
-Sankofa
And with only 3 features including the producer himself, this album relies heavily on JFliz himself to swing for the fences and provide that killer, relentless flow we all know him to have and I’ll say he does that in spades.
From the very first track ‘Devil You Know’, it’s clear his intentions of his return and you can hear the hunger in his voice and his determination to bring something to the plate that is better than the rest!
His raw, raspy voice combined with his solid wordplay, penmanship, and flow all come together to create a series of memorable verses and bars that pair nicely with that dark and gloomy production!
He sounds more methodical than ever on this record; he’s patient.
In no rush to get the words out, he understands the pros of taking his time and letting every word be felt and that adds that extra layer to every song on here.
He wants you to feel every bar in your body and soul and honestly there is a sense of sonic possession that comes over you as a listener when you hear how he lays out his words and I dig in! Definitely a unique experience to hang on to every word spoken and I think it again fits perfectly with the instrumental landscape provided!
On the production side of things, it kind of reminds me of a more darker/grimy telling of one of those comic-style albums that you’d hear from likes of
-MF Doom
-CZARFACE, etc.
The vocal samples of monsters and such remind me of that but to put it briefly, if those types of albums mentioned above are the trademark 80’s style colourful world comic inspirations, then this would be the equivalent of ‘Christopher Nolan’s’ ‘Dark Knight Trilogy’ more rooted in darkness and grit in comparison.
Regardless, Tali does a fantastic job with the raw and crisp production, the various elements of:
-Boom Bap
-Underground
-East Coast Style Grime
To create a world that you wouldn’t necessarily want to be a part of but would make an interesting story to hear and learn about, and in this case, we are getting a firsthand masterclass in sonic adventure.
The Verdict? A great album with incredible concepts and dope production/features/performances across the board. The holy trinity was achieved on this project!
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