Mar 16 2009
New Album Review - Cradle Orchestra - Velvet Ballads
Hits: Talk It Out (Nieve and Jean Curley), All I Want In This World (CL Smooth), Mountain Top (ft Aloe Blacc), Live Forever (ft Black Thought), So Fresh (ft Talib Kweli), Only One (ft Need Not Worry), The World Outside In (ft Othello), Cheers (ft Asheru), Food For Thoughts (ft OC), Yin Stacks (ft Rakaa Iriscience of Dilated Peoples), Velvet Ballads
Strikes: Bubbles (ft Jean Curley)
Balls: Nothin For Nothin (ft CL), Jag Jam Jazz
I’m not usually a fan of extended introductions to the artists in question. However, I’m fairly sure that the majority of you have never heard of the group so here it goes. Cradle Orchestra is a group from Japan that specializes in jazz tinted hip hop productions. They started off with two DJs but more recently they have recruited live instrumentation in the form of a bassist, a violinist, a flutist, and a pianist. Sounds good already doesn’t it?
It’s groups like Cradle Orchestra that really helps argue against the naysayers that say hip hop shouldn’t be characterized as music. Their production, aided by the addition of live instruments, goes from being simply touched by jazz tones to being a full blown sonic experience. Listening to their beats, you really do get the sense that these guys treat each beat as its own musical composition and that they believe the instrumental should be more than background noise for rappers to rhyme over. The numerous sounds on the production is able to mesh together to provide cohesive melodies to bug out over. And fortunately for us, Cradle Orchestra brought together a great group of emcees to do justice to their music. Hearing CL Smooth and Talib, in particular, over production like this was really a treat.
When it comes down to it, all I wanted to say is this: Velvet Ballads is the first album of 2009 that I’ve truly enjoyed through and through and will feel the urge to listen to again as the year goes on. Pick it up and give it a try.
