Customer Reviews

Life on Earth

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For those of you out there familiar with Grand Central's label bosses Rae & Christian it probably won't surprise you that most of the talent they sign to their own label is top-notch. Rae & Christian released one of the greatest underground albums (hip hop, R&B, or otherwise) with Northern Sulphric Soul.
Here, with their newest label signing Niko they have found some great fresh new talent that can without a doubt hold her own. The album starts things off well with the blistering ghetto funk of "You're My Favorite Music".
The next track, "Shifting" is a great electro roller that plugs along with a subtle Jazzanova-style.
"Swamp" sees Niko doing her best jazz diva impression with production by Mark Rae. This is a good track, but somehow falls just short of excellence; In part because of a slightly repetitive chorus.
"Don't Waste Your Time" shines with some great production, but Niko's Nelly Furtado-style vocal delivery took me a couple listens to appriciate.
"Roam" sets the stage on fire with Niko's sweet'n'spicy approach and excellent production work by Lance Thomas and Grand Central's very own Aim.
"All I Do" is probably the albums weakest track despite Aim producing. The song is saved from coming up totally weak by the great instrumentation.
One of the albums finest standout's follows - "An Echo of Quiet and Green" ; Mr. Scruff comes out of nowhere to produce a bouncing jazz-trumpet feast.
"Let Me Go", "The Hourly Second", and the album's title track just seem bland with too much emphasis on modern radio's style of pop sensabilities.
"Siren" and "Love You To Pieces" end the album very strong though, and put the cap on an overall solid first effort. Fans of Aim, Mr. Scruff, Rae & Christian may want to give this a listen before jumping in, but most will enjoy the vast melange of styles and approaches this album offers. 3.5 Stars - Good work!