Customer Reviews

Even in Darkness [Vinyl]

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dungeon Family, the Super-Group which includes Outkast and Goodie MoB, has finally released their long due debut album. Headed by producers Earthtone3 and Organized Noize, they manage to drop a classic album in my opinion. The beats are some of the most original ever even surpassing the beats that appeared on Stankonia. The head nod factor only increases as you near the end of the cd. Rhymers are potent on this release but I have to really give Big Boi his props. He has perfected his flow and lyrics and it is witnessed on every song he appears on as he outshines everyone. Lemme break it down for ya song by song.

Presenting Dungeon Family- pretty nice intro to begin with.....beat isnt great neither are the rhymers. 4

2.Crooked Booty- Now this is a dirty South beat! Definite to get the party jumping or started. very hype. 5

3. Follow The light- Cee-Lo sets it off on this one with his nicely done chorus and Big Boi puts the icing on the cake. Very Mellow beat; the tamest song on the album. 5

4. Trans DF Express- The single, with the most bumpable beat of the whole album. Dre and Big Boi rip it, Cee-Lo does a great job. A Classic. 5 easily

5. On&On&On- OMG this album keeps getting better and better. Another party starter with a very unique head nodder beat. Big Boi kills it with his verse. 5

6. Emergency- not much on the First listen but this one does grow on you. The beat is very fast and urgent sounding; hence the name. good song 4

7. Forever Pimpin- Nice beat and Cool Breeze drops an aight verse. overall too short and not enough rippage of the microphone. 3.5

8. 6 Minutes- A classic song. Many of the lesser known members of the click get some shine here such as Witchdoctor, Big Rube, and Backbone. The beat is infectious and is just right for chilling. Tight Chorus. 5

9. White Gutz- This is some country fried rap right here. The beat is definitely southern and is again a head nodder. It features Bubba Sparxxx and blends right in with Big Boi and Big Gipp. 5

10. Rollin- Nice change of pace. a slower R&B type of song but ghettoer. Slow riding song. 4

11. They Comin- A nice chant with a great beat. T-Mo rips it to shreds. song about haters. 4

12. Excalibur- Production is live on this one and creates a nice landscape for the rappers and it continues the greatness shown on this album. Chorus is very soulful and moving. The beat gets more intense as it goes on. A Classic. 5

13. What Is Rap- A tight a$$ tune right here. A night Track. Ray rips up his verse. 4

14. Curtains- A moving beat and has some nice sound effects in it. Tight Chorus nice flows, great lyrics. 4.5

Overall this is definitely one of the top 5 cds to come out this year. It is easily the best album by a group this year. The Dungeon Family continues to push the envelope and show that they have the game on lock. Constantly innovating and original. The Dungeon Family earns the right for me to call this a classic debut album. A Must have for the year 2001. Easily 5 stars!

True music. Rap music. For once, that phrase is not an oxymoron. One of the most original CD I've ever heard. But it does not sound like they are trying to be different. They just are. I lost this CD, and I went and bought it again. That's how good it is. This CD is ahead of its time. That's good, that's makes for decades of listening.
Rollin' is the best track of the year. Cee-Lo don't mess around on this CD.

In the event of an "Emergency" the Dungeon Family is here to save you from the repititious sound and concepts that exist in rap/hip-hop. Outkast, Goodie Mob, Society of Soul, Witchdoctor, Cool Breeze and Backbone got together to create a fusion of futuristic sounds and lyrics to calm the average hip-hop/rap lover. Even In Darkness belongs mostly to Big Boi of Outkast and Big Gipp of Goodie Mob. Production was held down by Organized Noize and Earthtone III. "...Oooh, call the police / I will verbally murder one of these sucker mc's..." said by member Backbone on "Emergency" which features Mello of P.A. (or 66 Mello if you know your history). "On & On & On" is has a Miami sound with foreign chords to add to the uptempo composition. "White Gutz" is also a standout which starts off with the pimping flow of Big Boi, following Bubba Sparkxx and is taken over with the non-rhyme of Big Gipp. "Sitting on four hundred wires that's what they love / incence swinging from the mirror that's what they love / six coats lick with the glaze that's what they love / driving with the dealership tag that's what they love / harrigbone straight on my shoulder that's what they love / the smell of new leather in the cold that's what they love / straw hats, v-neck tees that's what they love / moonroof open blowing smoke that's what they love / Romeo cologne every week that's what they love / that's what they love / that's what they love..." By the time you get to "Excalibur" the DF will have you in awe with this mideval with organs and 808 kick to win you over. "...360 degrees / of emcees / making these rap niggas sound like they're swinging from trees..."

The Dungeon Family is still in my CD rotation after 4 years or however long it has been since it first hit the shelves. Following Stankonia, I can honestly say I was expecting Even In Darkness to be a notch below OutKast's acclaimed effort. I could not have been more wrong. Creativity, ability and perfect execution are all pushed to distances never reached in Southern Hip Hop before this release. Some highlight tracks are the "Crooked Booty," "Follow The Light," and "On & On & On." There are no weak songs, besides perhaps the intro. The "Trans DF Express" punishes the subwoofer, while songs like "Excaliber" show off Cee-Lo's amazing artistic ability. If you enjoy rap, soul music, southern hip hop, or OutKast, you can't pass on Even In Darkness.

The Dungeon Family really produced the goods here and it more than filled the space for new product from the Atlanta collective til Cee-Lo dropped his solo joint. The Outkast Hits collection was never going to cut it for hardcore fans who had every 'Kast longplayer anyway...

The aforementioned Cee-Lo features very prominently on this album while Dre3000 generally takes a backseat, although the unique Outkast MC does choose his contributions well in "Crooked Booty" and "Trans Df Express", arguably the two strongest joints on the LP. Both tracks are very addictive and bring the old school funk influences we have come to expect.

Another highlight are the 80s synth sounds of "Follow The Light", while "Excalibur" with it's rousing chorus proves good closure towards the end of the album. "6 Minutes" utilises elements from old school classic "The Show" but also creates a worthy head nodder in itself.

Those are some of my favourite moments although truth told there's not a weak track. The production is exemplorary as you'd expect from Oraginized Noize.

Anyone switched on to the refreshing twist The Dungeon Family in their numerous guises have brought into hip-hop will no doubt run not walk to get this, their first group album, and quite right too, it's superb.

I definitely expected better. I mean, if you start with Organized Noize production, add Outkast, Goodie Mob, Cool Breeze, Witch Doctor, Backbone and the various other members of the Dungeon Family, well...it's easy to expect the best album of the century. This is not it.
Don't get me wrong, it's hot. It's really hot! Maybe I expected too much.
So, if you're like me, and you've been an Outkast fan since they released the original version of "Players' Ball" (The one on the La Face Christmas Album), and you think this is going to be the best collection of Atlanta/Dirty South hip-hop ever...check yourself. But if you're just looking for something that'll have you ridin' out, then this is the one. Definitely worth the cash. Easily one of the best CD's I've heard in a long while.
Surprise guest appearances from Mello of P.A. and Bubba Sparxxx set this disk off just right.
So, don't get your hopes too high, but don't miss it either.
Beware, don't listen to "On & On & On" while driving. It'll have you so live, you'll be pushin' 120 MPH before you realize it.
Troy's picks: On & On & On, Emergency, White Gutz, and Curtains

This is a dope party album with come occasional intellectual commentary scattered throughout. Its not crunk, its not gangsta or jiggy, its just some tight beats with some tight flows by some tight MCs. Its a great summmer BBQ type of disc.

Even in Darkness is a slice of Atlanta satifaction. If albums were four course meals this would be delicious. Everyone gets to shine but the gloss is especially heavy on Big Boi of Outkst. A hip-hop classic that's like a pair of new shoes, just give it time and it'll be your favorite.

The dungeon family is a mix of 3 groups whom i love! They all sound good together, all of the songs on this cd are origonal, unique and theres nothing i'd rather listen to. some of my fav's are White Gutz, 6 minutes, on & on & on, trans df express, crooked booty, etc. Theres so much variation in the songs, you can just listen to this cd over and over, i know my cd is always in my cd player, got your df?

Rap music has been in what you might call, a downward spiral. Now days, it's pretty hard to see any originality. Bling, Bling this. Hot car that, beat you with my Louisville woofle ball bat. You either got thugs or you got floosers. Their either rapping about cars, women, ice, big houses or some other garbage. But this right here is different. The Dungeon Family has their own sound. Soon people are going to want to copy them. Listen to this album, you got songs that you could listen to anywhere. From the streets to the clubs, to your Uncle's cook outs, in your cars when your going on long trips.
On & On & On, that right there is an official party joint right there. It sort of resembles B.O.B. The Outro was prolly the best song on there. Listen to some of them you probably wouldn't think they're from the South. But they are.
All in all this album was lovely (Oh and Bubba Sparxx is in it.) It's a definite MUST GET~!! Cop this album, NOW~!!