Later That Day...

Lyrics Born

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 7, 2003)
• Original Release Date: October 7, 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Quannum Projects
• ASIN: B0000CC87J
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #88,614 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Easily one of the most creative hip-hop albums of 2003, Lyrics Born's Later That Day fulfills the potential that this Bay Area artist has been promising for years. Like Andre 3000's The Love Below, Later That Day transcends genres and sensibilities--LB embraces an aesthetic that owes at least as much to disco and new wave as it does to hip-hop and the result is an album that packs surprises through every turn. His impressive song-craft helps organize the album as a morning-to-night narrative, with LB waking to nightmares on "Bad Dreams," then sparring with telemarketers on the humorous "Cold Call," and ending his day with girl drama on "Love Me So Bad." Along the way, he picks up a few friends--especially singer Joyo Valerde, whose soaring voice helps the album indelibly gel together and skater-turned-musician Tommy Guerrero whose funk chops help spice up the beats. It's still all Lyrics Born though--this album radiates his presence like the sun and basking in his creative glow is half the fun. --Oliver Wang

Product Description
Thhe Very First Release from Syndey's Jam Recordings, Lyrics Born is One of the Key Artists of the Us Bay Area's Quannum Collective and Long Time Friend and Collaborator of Blackalicious and DJ Shadow. His Much Anticipated Debut Solo Album "Later that Day" Captures the Dusty Funk Vibe that this Tokyo Born, Bay Area Resident Knows all Too Well. Features the Single "Calling Out" as Heard on Triple J featuring Tommy Guerrero. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars What the fuh..., January 29, 2004

By	Campbell Roark "tri-zeta" (from under the floorboards and through the woods...) - See all my reviews

We're all friends here, right? Hmmm... We'll begin with a course of apologetics- Lyrics Born is one of my top-five, all-time, favorite MC's. No one sounds like him and his work with Latyrx and Quannum (as well as his numerous guest slots- Blackalish, et al) has-been consistently top-notch. Excellent.

His rhymes on "Bombonyall," "Latyrx," "Say That," "Lady don't tek no," "Balcony Beach," and Blackalicous's "Release," among others, are mind-blowingly inventive. His flow is like no other and his wordplay never fails to kill me (par example, I don't recall anyone else ever working in rhymes about 'manticores,' like LB does on "Bombonyall").

I have been looking foward to this release since college, late '98...

So why the three stars (three and a half but leaning to three)? Well, I honestly just don't really like this much. It's just... not that tight. Too many skits and sleeper tracks. There are a couple stand-out tunes (see below), but overall I just don't like the whole thing. The production is consistently badass, and the 80's funk theme works well. But I didn't buy the album for the beats (not entirely) I got it because I wanted to be blown away by LB, his unswerving delivery and surreal-ass rhymes. And, pound for pound, track for track, I don't seem to be hearing it.

As other reviewers point out- this is way above most mainstream hip hop. But... so what? Give my little brother a tuning fork and a handful of dog feces and I have no doubt the results would be better than your average hip hop release (Ohhhh! Can you feel the case of hate that I brought?). Saying it's better than the everyday tripe we all run from is not much of a compliment.

Now then, "Do That There," is simply great! I play it constantly- it slams and bounces and Lyrics Born rides the beat like damn the song is a rodeo of funk! Love it. In fact, it's exactly what I was expecting (only I wanted a whole album of bangin' tunes and hotcake funkee beats) "Callin' Out" is damn slick too (great chorus, great horns). And I love the "U Ass Bank" sketch, as well as the way it segues into "Cold Call," perfectly. "the Last Trumpet," is nice and tight.

Soooo... tracks 1 through 3 I have learned to avoid. "Stop Complaining" Aside from the John Denver IRS guy towards the end- don't like it. And I could've sworn that bassline (or at least the drop-off at the end of the fourth bar) was used for "Release," off of Blackalish's last album. "Before and After," didn't do much for me. "Pack Up," is pretty good, I guess, but I still tend to skip it. Same for "Hott Bizness." And "Love Me So bad (that may be the problem- I don't care for LB the soulful singer man)." And, now that I think about it, "One Session," doesn't prime my musket either... And the end is... well, it ends.

Soooo... that's five tracks that I dig. For a whole album....

Maybe I built it up in my mind too much... No one's perfect, and this is all just the opinion of a guy who will most likely never have an album. So Maybe I should just "Stop Complaining," eh? I'm sure we haven't heard the last, or even the beginning, from Lyrics Born- he's got ingenuity, imagination, and time on his side as well as a bad ass crew to back him on future endeavors. I'm looking forward to his next one and everything he puts out in between.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I'm Not Mad At This, July 19, 2004

By	Open Mike (Montreal) - See all my reviews

I've been following Lyrics Born since he was known as Asia Born so when his solo album dropped I copped it right away without even giving it a listen. We've all heard the single "Callin' Out" (if you haven't it was the definitive headbanger of 2003) and we all loved it, so there were a lot of expectations for this entire album to inspire rumps to shake and heads to bob.

For every bad thing I have to say about the album I have several good things to say. First off LB did this album entirely on his own with very very little help from the Quannum collective. You will notice that he produced virtually the entire album, save one effort from Cut Chemist (which isn't anything to write home about anyway). For the most part his beats are reminiscent of the Quannum style (funky, soulful, uplifting), which is never a bad thing. He spits fire on virtually every track, and the spotlight is exclusively on him: Gift of Gab's contribution is irrelevant on "Cold Call" and he outshines his Latyrx counterpart Lateef the Truthspeaker on "The Last Trumpet". I'm a huge fan of both those lyricists but there is no denying that Lyrics Born has done his homework and remains up there as one of Cali's most overlooked MCs.

If you love LB's soulful side then you will love tracks like "Bad Dreams" - a funky stomp about life's woes - and "Love Me So Bad" - a sexy reggae-inspired groove about trouble in paradise. Peep those two tracks and if you're feeling his soulful side then you'll definately appreciate his approach on the mic as a broken-hearted MC with some stuff to get off his chest.

You will not be dissapointed with LB's abilities on the mic. LB's style is very much modelled around the father of Quannum rhymesayers, Gift of Gab. Like Gab his flow is bananas and he's got lyrics for days. "Callin' Out" is quintessential Lyrics Born - fast-paced and witty. "Hott Bizzness" is, in my opinion, the stand-out track as far as his rhyming goes. You get the impression that he takes an enormous breath at the beginning of the track and doesn't let it go until the song fades out. That is skill.

Unfortunately I think this album is inconsistent. I hate to say that because there are a handful of headbanging tracks, but there are also a handful of tracks just begging to be skipped. Like I said in the title I am not mad at this album. LB worked damn hard on this and he deserves credit for taking this project all on his lonesome, unlike a lot of up-and-comers who just rely on already established artists to earn their success for them. LB is a better producer than most mainstream producers will ever be, I think he just has to come into his own. I think the underlying problem is that the beats are often too layered, which isn't really necessary with LB because his flow and style can grace a track that boasts even the simplest of beats.

Basically you should buy this album because it's an example of do-it-yourself hip hop trying to make its mark in what's become a mass-produced music industry. The truly dope beats compensate for the few stinkers, and Lyrics Born is among the illest MCs you've never heard of.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Later That Day is early enough, November 12, 2003

By	"needstobuyabike" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

Lyrics Born's full-length debut is an exercise in originality and certainly one of the best albums of the year. The album is impossible to pigeonhole into one genre. Equal parts soul, disco, hip-hop, r & b and even some new wave make for a rewarding listening experience. Lyrics Born has been impressive from the start but an album with 17 tracks normally has some marginal filler material. Alas, not here. His talent is tremendous and he even manages to bring one extreme rarity, a funny hip-hop skit ("U A** Bank).
On "Bad Dreams", Mr. Shimura starts off on the right track with excellent production and something like call and response on the lyrics end. "Callin' Out" is an excellent track to get your grind on. A funky disco beat flows behind the lyrical dexterity of Lyrics Born. "Cold Call" features Gift of Gab on the other end of a phone call from LB. A fluid rhyming conversation over the phone makes for one of the album's conceptual high spots. Cut Chemist makes an appearance on "Do That There" bringing some of old-school beats to back up what might be the years best retro joint. "The Last Trumpet" is the most political track on the album and comes off as a tad bit didactic but the collaboration with Lateef the Truth Speaker and the incredibly urgent production behind the track make up for any heavy-handedness. The recurring voices of Constance Lopez and especially Joyo Velarde fill out the album exquisitely.
Lyrics Born comes into his own on this album as a producer. Exceptional beats ranging from funky (pretty much everywhere) to something like taiko drumming (on "The Last Trumpet") provide a solid basis and would make up for inferior lyrics. Luckily, the spit here is as tight as the production and Lyrics Born joins the exclusive ranks of hip-hop highest echelon.