An album release from Chow Mane just dropped, and it provides a thick array of R&B, fresh rap and hip-hop, and elements of old-school approaches that blend in here and there throughout the record.
This is an extensive release featuring 13 tracks, each showing little bits of different sides to the artist and plenty of collaborations from some amazing talent.
The record is called MOOD 4 LOVE and features everything from radio-friendly R&B to freestyle raps that lend a hand to classic underground hip hop, which you would find on the B sides of records from bands like The Roots.
This is one of my favorite aspects of the record. Just that blend of youthful and classic hip-hop with touches of underground influence blending in with this pristine and well-polished production and new approaches to blending R&B with pop.
Chow Mane himself has a brilliant swagger across this record, and it never lets up, quickly becoming part of his staple sound throughout the release.
The record starts with "Banana Bay", which really is a perfect example of bringing out that radio-friendly R&B and pop crossover but with new elements that freshen things up. This track is super catchy. It also does a great job of presenting the swagger I was talking about earlier and giving you a little taste of what you might expect throughout the record.
Even though this is the case, this entire album should be heard from start to finish because it's one of the best ways to do it.
The next track is called "Chef's Selection Freestyle", which is a prime example of that classic and old school, vintage-feeling hip hop sound and a freestyle format that you might hear on a mixtape from the late 90s.
One of the coolest things about this is that Chow Mane is actually a producer as well as the artist himself, so he most likely produced a lot of these beats himself.
If that's the case, he certainly kept in mind those classic influences as he laid this record out.
Other tracks like "JUICE LEE" let loose and showcase his lyrical phrasing abilities with super fast and perfectly placed wording that you pay attention to, but you would have to go back and listen two or three times to soak it all in.
I dig songs like this because you dig deeper into the music, and it presents a lot of surprises around its corners.
One of my favorite tracks on the record is called "Mahjong", which is actually the closing song and even states that it's a bonus track, but it is outstanding in terms of its flow and unique production approach.
There's a lot going on with this album, and there's plenty to take in, so I would suggest again that you do this in full because each of the songs has these kinds of stories to tell, but you find yourself holding on to certain lines of certain songs as well.
Again, some of these fly by because he can be quick, but a lot of the songs he's smoother and sort of sultry rather than just fast with his lyrical phrasing.
All of this is very well-placed, so you can tell he took his time to put this together and build it so that it had an impact. It also has a lot of genuine character to it.
This is the type of album you listen to and realize this might be the artist's opus.
There are certainly more than a few tracks that stand on their own two feet very well as singles by themselves; however, there's a lot of unexpected sounds and approaches throughout this record that keep you on your toes.
Chow Mane pays attention to the details when he's creating. The production, beats, and lyrics all give that away, but he can pull that all off with a catchiness while keeping things slightly outside the box.
This was a banger of an album, and you should check it out right now.
If you're into unorthodox, avant-garde, inventive, and unique hip hop and R&B, this album, and the artist in general, is definitely for you.
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