James Poyser Presents – The ReBel Yell “Love & War”
Posted on 26. Aug, 2009 by Sam in Albums, Music, Reviews
Philadelphia native & Grammy award-winner James Poyser has worked with such big names as Al Green, The Roots, Jill Scott, Common, Bilal & D’Angelo. His funk-laced production made Like Water For Chocolate one of my favorite Common albums. His most recent project, James Poyser Presents: The ReBel Yell – Love & War, brings together a collective of Philly-area musicians, singers & vocalists including Patty Crash, Nikki Jean, and SupaStar (featured on The Roots’ “I Don’t Care” from their The Tipping Point album). Working with Khari Ferrari Mateen, who has produced songs for The Roots & J*Davey, among others, Poyser compiles an album full of genre-bending experimental sounds that may take a few listens before they sink in for the average listener.
As can be expected with any sort of venture outside of typical genre structures, the album is hit-or-miss. The hits are really spot-on, though… the lead-in track, “Army of Misfits”, is a trip back in time and borrows from Naked Eyes’ “Always Something There To Remind Me”:
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The follow-up “Wanted!” leads in with a Jack-Davey-goes-to-Strawberry-Fields synthesizer. “Wanted!”, however, also fits into the miss category… while the music is toe-tap & head-nod inducing, the lyrics are nothing new. I don’t know if they were going for an ironic slant, but after the lead-not-follow tune of “Army of Misfits”, lines like “girl you got me vexed/I’m savin’ up all my checks/to take you out in the Lex/and next we makin’ moves/to the back of the club/yea, the bass is pumpin’/but dancin’ just ain’t enough/we both thinkin’ ’bout sex” don’t really fit.
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“Life…” takes the album in a blues/rock direction, and SupaStar’s vocals work really well with that backdrop. Other highlights of the album are the Prince-inspired “The Revolution”, and funky synth-heavy tracks like “Spend The Night” & “Get Off”. (hmm… I sense a pattern here).
Overall, if you’re tired of cookie cutter r&b and hip-hop, or if you’re an eclectic music fan with a taste for something new, “Love & War” is a good album & a solid first effort from this Philly artist collective.