Customer Reviews

Another Heist

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you're read my reviews for "Let's Do It Again" and "Black Hollywood", you already know I'm an avid Camp Lo virtuoso. From their debut "Uptown Saturday Night", the Campers have continued to sprinkle vividly abstract pictures of '70 blaxploitation-esque life and the good times thereof with superb lyrics and top-notch beats. I'm glad to say that AH, also being their 4th official album minus the singles/mixtapes over the 14 year span, lives up truly to USN. This is in no way disregarding their previous efforts, but AH holds true in the soul-sounding orchestrated assembly and white-hot lyricism that made 'em famous in the first place:

"Another Heist" - Perfect banger to start the album off, but if you're a fan like me, this song was around on the 'net for a good minute. Ski (the producer, who was also a member of Original Flava back in yesteryear), joins in with a nice verse towards the end. Like "Krystal Karrington" from USN and "Gotcha" from LDIA, the dark, gritty track discusses the lavish life of gems, heisting and stick-ups...

"Uptown" - Loud horns parade quite nicely on this song, with a classic boom-bap clap mixed in as the Lo go from uptown to downtown...hey, are you running yet???

"Satin Amnesia" - The love song of the album. Reminds me of a smoothed-out version "I Could Careless?" from their Ft. Apache mixtape, incorporated with a "Coolie High", relaxed feel...

"Get 'Em Lo" - I believe this was a Japanese exclusive B-side song from "Stone and Rob", which was released months before. Not too big on this track, but the Lo flows great and maybe this one has to grow on me...

"Boogie Nights" - Wow! They come aggressively hard on this track! Nice sample, nice dance track...man, wish they could have collaborated with Jay-Z on this jam...

"Son Of A" - Amid a short track, they sum it up well as they pay homage to the greats of Black music legends and nostalgia...

"Good Green" - The previous track flows into this one without breaking a sweat. If you're familiar with their Ft. Apache mixtape, this song shouldn't be new to you. Get it by the ounces, and get tired when you're counting...

"Beautiful People" - One of my favorite tracks! The singing, the rhythm, the horn solo...OMG, just beautiful! Reminds me of an OutKast song and, once again, the Southern Duo would've be awesome if featured on an extended version of this song...

"Bionic" - Another short track, but direct and to-the-point. Everything from "The Six Million Dollar Man" intro sample to the sound effects laced with the MF-Doom-like music fits impeccably...

"Black Connect 3" - ...and the story continues flawlessly where B.C. 2 left off from LDIA. Don't wanna give away the ending, but it sounds like our crooks finally made it. Or could there be a B.C. 4 in the future??? Hmmm...

"Love It Then" - Ski deserves accolades for this one! The use of Stevie Wonder's "Send One Your Love" intertwined in the words of Lo's sex paradise. Another track that was circulating on the 'net for a while (and even on their MySpace page once) before making it to wax...

"Uptown (Remix) - DeBarge's "Time Will Reveal" holds the bulk of the sample on this final track. Nice to see a remix and, in a way, duplicates the effort of USN (which had two versions of "Sparkle")...

This music industry is brutal; lotta of 1-hit wonders, radio and video garbage polluting the sound and airwaves, and too many artists to count who have yet to reach the apex of super-stardom. Thankfully, with the internet especially, true and dedicated fans can still support GOOD MUSIC, no matter the sales or street-cred. The Lo, after 14 years in the biz, continue to never sell themselves short and provide what they do best: unique lyrics, incredible flows, '70's lifestyles and exquisite sounds...

Another Heist, in my opinion, would contend without a doubt as being RAP DUO ALBUM OF THE YEAR!

LIVE ON CAMP LO! LIVE ON!

im an avid camp lo fan and this is truly another camp lo banger! these cats get better with time everytime. BUT.............the only thing i didnt like about this one was the tracks were too short, by the time i was really feelin it, the cd was over. dont get me wrong, each track was a banger, just too short. and not enough tracks for my taste. but i recommend anyone looking for real hip-hop to pick up this one.

Black Connect 3 is the Best trac. Glad 2 c them back on that Black Connection stuff! Satin Amnesia is dope 2.

So if you haven't been following Camp Lo in awhile, you probably don't realize this is their FOURTH album yo (Mad Rapper reference). Although they haven't been finding much mainstream success since Uptown Saturday Night, the Lo continue to turn out short albums, singles and mixtapes all apparently leading up to their mainstream return "A Piece of the Action" (the tentative title of some mysterious upcoming album). Since Uptown Saturday Night, the Lo has released Let's Do it Again, Black Hollywood, the Fort Apache Mixtape, Stone and Rob Caught on Tape mixtape, 2 Best of Collections, Lumdi (single), and various singles, guest appearances and contributions to compilations. In interviews, Sonny Chiba and Geechie Suede have referred to some of these albums as mixtapes (even though they carried predominately all new material, or material that had only appeared on earlier mixtapes).

Their recent experiments with producer Apple Juice Kid on the Stone and Rob mixtape resulted in a couple alright tracks, but nothing that redefined their sound or status in today's hip hop world. Another Heist reunites Lo with producer Skibeatz returning them to a sample based sound we've come to know them for. The comfort level between these two emcees and their producer is evident as soon as one begins to listen to the album. The 70s sound is back, returning their faithful fans to a familiar place. "Boogie Nights", "Beautiful People", "Satin Amnesia", sit nicely side by side with Lo's old party tracks such as "Coolie High", "Sparkle" and "Glow". "Get Em Lo" lets the two rappers flip their rapid-fire cinematic jazz flows over a horn fuelled 70s beat appropriate for driving muscle cars. "Son of A" is a great homage to the fathers of their style (Marvin Gaye, Earth Wind and Fire, the Commodores). Although only running 1min36secs it is also the only track turned into a video (albeit shot in one-take). Although not for everyone, "Black Connect 3" has one of the most amazing uses of a long sample I have ever heard. It comes off a bit campy, like a Roger Moore Bond film dance sequence, but it is still entertaining and catchy.

Their are some bricks on this one; Bionic is sonic mess, and Uptown (both versions) are just disappointing, one tries to be a fun party track, the other tries to make the track dark and gritty but neither succeed. Overall Another Heist is fun album to listen to in the early evening with your drink of choice.

This album feels a bit like a bunch of tracks pulled out of the archives and dusted off, but it's still a fun listen like all Lo albums. It does feel like this album is still just a taste to try to hold fans over for something bigger. However, "A Piece of the Action" is not the next project. Something possibly even more exciting is around the corner: Camp Lo + Pete Rock = 80 Blocks from Tiffany's. At the time of writing this the first mixtape of 80 Blocks has dropped to a lot of internet interest. Since then, the Lo has pushed out a single each Tuesday (following the Kanye model) leading up to another mixtape and finally the full 80 Blocks album in the summer.

Are you detecting a pattern yet? The Lo seem to believe they have an album up their sleeve that may catapult them back to a mainstream level of success. Teasing the audience with mixtapes is a great idea, but is a second 80 Blocks mixtape really necessary prior to the actual album? Lo runs the risk of diluting the potency of the album if half of it has leaked before it's launch. Rumour has it, they are delaying the album while trying to entice guest artists. Already a remix of "On Ice" with Planet Asia has hit the web, and speculation is that Pharoahe Monch may make an appearance, since they share the same management team.

One listen to flow and lyrics on the first single "Mic Check" tells you that Suede and Chiba are coming back hungry. I guess the money stash from Another Heist didn't last that long. Let's hope the 80 Blocks album is as incredible as the mixtape.

great album as far as concept....and lyrically sound with a great mixture of mello beats..alot of horns and piano loops...the only down side was production wasn't consistent..some songs didn't bump as far as bass....other than that it was a solid effort

#5 BOOGIE NIGHTS is classic

all the rest I could do without. thiers maybe 2 other songs that are average. I usually am the type of person if you dont have nothing nice to say dont sya nothing @ all but I wanted to do atleast 1 negative review (lol)