Talib Kweli
Gutter Rainbows

Written by Dominick. Published: Monday, January 24, 2011.

Last year longtime Talib Kweli fans were met with a sobering new album from the Brooklyn veteran in the follow up to his and mid-west production staple Hi-Tek’s initial Reflection Eternal album. Kweli supporters were notably taken back with how un-impressive Revolutions Per Minute was and some creeping suspicions that perhaps his best days on the mic were behind him. After all Talib was entering a new period in his life. Marriage and now managing his own label imprint; Blacksmith Records, logically seemed to be where our stalwart underground champion would likley bury his head for awhile. Thankfully and luckily for us it was not…

In fact, Talib has returned almost 9 months after the debacle that was RPM with a surprisingly stunning new solo project, imaginatively titled Gutter Rainbows. At first glance my exact thinking was “Nice cover…so the music must be kind of bad”. That inclination would turn out not to be true in any form or fashion, however, I would caution folks that reach for this LP thinking they’re gonna hear Talib taking it back to 98′, that’s not the case either. What does ensue here is Talib sort of melding a lot of the album’s unorthodox and wonky production with his vivid and personal lyrical modes, giving you a highly mature and interesting listen. I’m not sure if he was shooting for an older demo with Gutter Rainbows, but I do believe he’ll capture it seeing as how cultured and ripe with heady, well performed subject matter this album is.

Commencing with a flute-driven and lightly comedic intro that sort of displays some of the wayward jargan and schemes that may or may not be coming out of the mouth of an overly ambitious hustler and his peanut gallery, things jump off in a rather un-assuming matter. Right then your hit with the outstanding album title track that boasts a stirring arrangement of crashes, synths and percussion sounds all masterfully put together by producer 88-Keys. The verses Talib kicks here come with the intensity and care that we all wish he would’ve managed to find on his last release, and actually hearing him fall back into that dominant rythym where everything he spits comes alive in your mind is a truly special thing. From this point forward you just know this effort will be a special one.

Banal music backdrops have absolutely no place on the dynamic soundbed of Gutter Rainbows. Talib takes chances early and often, as evidenced with the quasi-soulful “So Low”. Chugging drums, dissonant shakers and an overall somber mood encompass this interesting cut that stands out as one of the better inspirational Hip-Hop joints I’ve heard in a long time. In another instance Talib goes in over a nicely produced, piano key powered jaunt done up by Ski Beats, called “Cold Rain” which is another towering moment for Talib. The intermitent breaks that are sung are beautifully accentuated by the beat and Talib rides along like a real pro. Of course the real talk of the album I expect will be “Uh Oh”; The Jean Grae assisted, Oh No-produced, brooding and bruising cut that finds Talib’s prized Blacksmith records signee flexing her gift of gab adeptly. I’d have to go ahead and say head-to-head Talib got blown outta the water (the Chelsea Handler line really killed his verse for me) by the capable Grae, but overall he wins with this, as it is yet another moment when straight forward rhyming took presidence over anything else.

For all of the innovation and trial running that Talib gets into on Gutter Rainbows he didn’t completely go left field on us and made sure to encase some goodies for his more orthodox fanbase. “Palookas” was a wildly dope excursion that found him teaming with the surefire 16-bar spitter of the moment in Sean Price for some good natured rap boasting and threatening. Marco Polo provides the sinister arrangement that serves as a canvas for the braggadocio that our emcees provide in massive and rich amounts. If your making a mixtape in coming weeks you’ll be hard pressed not to throw this joint on it…it just works and was the most replayable track on the whole album.

“Tater Tot” is the magnificent storytelling cut that Talib included this time out and it’s an absolute treasure in his catalog. Over some really spacey and fuzzed out production he kicks a tale of spontaneous violence and eventual betrayal that had me rewinding over and again listening intently trying to soak in all the particuliars. Great stuff, and even greater is that he fished this beat from Nick Speed, a name that Hip-Hop once knew pretty well in underground circles and that I wish would re-surface more often in that same arena.

If your seeking a more synthy and neo-soulish’ typa vibe than you’ll run smack dab into it when you hear “Wait For You”. Perfectly executed and exuding a bunch of jazzy and soulful vibes, Talib again preeminantly handles the mic duties, doling out some sharp lines and handing us a creative chorus. The lovely and profoundly intelligent (upon googling I discovered she has a Masters and is currently studying anthropology) Kendra Ross gives us an understated, yet potent peformance backing Kweli up vocally. She stayed in her lane, but still caught my ear..if that’s not the definition of promise I don’t know what is. Thee other really memorable Rappin’-meets-R&B moment that Gutter Rainbows pushes forth is the Blaq Toven produced and sung “How You Love Me”. I was less taken by this effort. Perhaps next time just get Blaq to sing, because I honestly felt the mood of the beat, with it’s slapping hand claps, thudding kicks and powerful transitions kind of didn’t match up mood-wise.

Speaking of moods, in the upbeat, make you feel swell category, Talib also delivered decidedly. I always liked Talib for the simple fact that he kept it real–but more explicitly, real to himself and who he really is. “Ain’t Waiting” and “Friends And Family” are two examples of him doing exactly that without any shame or worry about coming off less than. One, a break neck paced declaration and the latter a heart warming reminder of the two most important things in this life. Both possessing quite different deliveries, but containing the same giant-sized, worldly relatablity that Talib continues to use to reel in his now maturing fanbase.

Gutter Rainbows lives up to it’s titling in an awkward kind of way. When you think of the gutter you sort of lament it’s existence and hope you never really find yourself there. When you think of a rainbow your reminded of a simple joy that comes about naturally after some rain…the rain in this case may be certain points in Talib’s life, maybe his last album, whatever, but for it’s worth, he’s managed to sort of show us yet again that all things begin anew and some of the boldest beauty is forged from the the most dire of straits. That’s why it’s maybe a bit ironic that when speaking about this album’s release awhile ago Talib basically summed it up as being comprised of his “throwaway” tracks from another upcoming solo release (Prisoners Of Conscious) that he’s planning for the future. However he views this LP, I can say personally I liked it and think it’s a great effort, even in spite of the fact that it may not of been executed and constructed like your traditional record is.

$17.99 out of $20.00

-Dominick “BIG D O” Ledezma

Category: Reviews