LYRICS BORN
(Berbati’s Pan, 10 SW 3rd) After milking his 2003 debut, Later That Day, for all it was worth (first there was 2005’s remix album, Same !@#$ Different Day, and then 2006’s Overnite Encore: Lyrics Born Live), Lyrics Born finally has a legitimately new LP, Everywhere at Once—which, kind of surprisingly, is more or less a bouncy, funky dance record that largely downplays the rapper’s gravelly, laidback cadence in favor of hyper-produced hooks and cheesy background vocals. Lyrics Born—a founder of Quannum Projects and half of Latyrx—has enjoyed plenty of backpacker cred, but with this disc, one suspects he’s either hoping for more club play, or he’s just now noticing how many units Kanye moves. When the album’s showy, oft-annoying choruses are pushed to the background, though, Lyrics Born gets to roam around, punching and mumbling and singing his lyrics over simpler, catchier hooks, proving his delivery and personality are as strong as ever—tracks like “I Like It, I Love It” balance the old-school charm of classic funk and the immediacy of hiphop into a blend that feels like nothing else out there. Lyrics Born is also one of the rare hiphop artists who can deliver in person, so expect tonight’s appearance to show off his best attributes, while hopefully leaving the less successful elements of Everywhere at Once back in the studio. ERIK HENRIKSEN

MP3:
Lyrics Born - I Like It, I Love It