Customer Reviews

Jazzmatazz 2

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

 

 

The best of the 3 jazzmatazzes. It is not nearly as jazz influenced as the 1st but absolutely the most complete of the 3. i love guru and Gangstarr. he is lyrically on point and every song is great. its deep and arranged well. This is one of my top 10 and top 5 hip hop albums in my mind. it takes a few listens to understand the complexity and integrity of this album. Completely original and very trippy when you get down to it. be patient and it will grow on you.

OK, I know it looks rather silly giving a record five stars on this page since 90% of the reviewed albums on amzon.com get that much (the last 10% are one-star releases, I don't know why). But Volume 2 is the one that actually opened my eyes for both jazz and rap music. Excellent.

This one gets better every time I listen to it. The majority of the beats are great, the majority of the rhymes are great.

While most of the tracks on the album are great, the album is 20 tracks deep, and at least one could be removed. The one that would improve the album if removed is "Living In This World." It doesn't fit with the rest of the work. It's too up-tempo, it's too happy and cheesy. With out that one, there are still 15 phenominal songs on the album. Two of the best are "The Traveler" and "Young Ladies", which features Kool Keith.

If you like the Roots "Do You Want More???!!!", you may like this one more.

Guru is one of my top most inspiring artists of all time. A true legend who was ahead of his time. He will forever be memorable through his rhymes and the hearts of those with admiration. R.I.P. Keith "Guru" Elam. Take time to really listen to this album.

First and foremost I would like to say R.I.P to Guru, who the music community lost earlier this year. Part of what made me purchase the second edition of Jazzmatazz was that I was and still am a fan of Guru as he was one of the illest MC's of hip hop at one point. I actually purchased the third edition of this series first (Streetsoul) and was impressed with the content and collaborations. Not long after I got a hold of the first two volumes. Now I'm inclined to agree that Jazzmatazz I was my favorite out of all four albums. But to be fair volume II is far from a disappointment. In fact it does share a similarity to the first effort. Some have said that the rhymes fall flat on this album; i disagree. Guru at this stage in his career was on point, especially when still with Gang Starr. My personal favorite tracks were "Looking Through the Darkness, Lost Souls, Nobody Knows, and Respect the Architect". Of course Guru did a fine job on contributors much like the previous album. Although there were a few filler cuts like "Watch What You Say", I give Jazzmatazz II 4 and a half stars. Definitely good music to lounge or cruise to. Also you can consider this a thinking man's kind of hip hop.

After hearing of GURU's unfortunate passing, I came here to look up the comments on what is one of my alltime favorite cd's. Whether you are a fan of jazz, hip hop, R & B or just a casual listener to all of them, this is an excellent cd. I would say it is the best of his post Gang Starr work.

'GURU' IS A REVELATION,HE STANDS OUT IN THE CROWD AS THE ONLY HIP-HOP ARTISTS WHO HAS COME TO TERMS WITH REALITY.IN 'NOBODY KNOWS' HE TOUCHES THE INNER SOUL OF LIFE IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS AND HOW HE HAS BEEN REAL TO HIS CRAFT OF MAKING MEANINGFUL MUSIC-A FRESH BREATHER TO THE FAKE HIP-HOP TRASH . A REAL COLLECTORS ITEM

In this album guru gives you the feeling that he is takin over. Unlike the first very best album of Jazzmatazz, he doesn't give enough room and freedom to the other musicians, and it's really to bad if you just look at the names that appears on. however it still a very good hip-hop album, but if the first is a must have, I'm not sure that this one is too.

I don't know what the editorial reviewer was listening to. Guru's second series of Jazzmatazz was great to listen to. I heard the first one earlier this year and felt to cop the second volume. Guru wanted to create the same thing he did back in 1993, with a blend of hip hop and jazz. On the first album, it was only twelve tracks deep. Here on the second, it's a total of twenty tracks. Also there are more featured artists on this one than it was on the first.

A lot of these tracks you can easily catch a vibe to. "Lifesaver" is a easy listening track with the singing of Baybe in the background. Or with the reggae mix "Medicine" featuring Ini Kimoze, True Masters, and Donald Byrd. Hip hop plays a mix in this album also, like on the good song "Respect The Architect" with Bahamadia. Or "Young Ladies", a tracks cut out for young ladies, that features Big Shug, Kool Keith, and Patra. True, Guru has that monotone voice, but that never stopped him in Gang Starr, and it sure doesn't stop him here, he can still cut a flow. And on most tracks, his vocals blend in with the music, so it doesn't make a big deal. A lot of these songs have a positive message, like on "Count Your Blessings", Guru sees what he really had during his hard times.

As for things I didn't like. Theres a lot of Jazzaludes and skits that wern't really necessary. Also there were quite a few tracks I didn't have a taste for. Also there are some tracks that Guru has a hard staying on beat, like the song "Looking Through The Darkness". I like that track though, so I'll name that my honorable mention track.

This is a good album. If you heard the first "Jazzmatazz" and haven't heard this one, give it a try. I heard the third one wasn't good at all though. Or if you're just curious or want to hear more of Guru, you might enjoy this here. Back in '95, Guru proved that he can carry himself with or without Primo. Speaking of Primo, he would produce the track "Watch What You Say" so he had a part in this project also.

Lyrics: B
Production: B+
Guest Appearances: A-
Musical Vibes: B+
Overall: B+

Favorite Tracks: Lifesaver, Watch What You Say, Medicine, Lost Souls, Respect The Architect, Young Ladies, Count Your Blessings, Choice Of Weapons

Honorable Mention Track: Looking Through The Darkness

Peace!

I love it, good stuff to ride too! Very laid back and cool. I like "Something In The Past".

Peace, K