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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
(3.5 Stars) Field Mob Getting Better With Time, July 11, 2006
Talk about grinding just to be noticed. Boondox and Kalage of Field Mob have been working hard to make a name for themselves since 2000 when 613: Ashy To Classy dropped and their 2002 follow-up From The Roota To Tha Toota which produced the hit "Sick Of Being Lonely." After some self-evaluation and a little lady luck with the recent collaboration with Ludacris for the smash hit "Georgia," Field Mob is ready to put their best foot forward with their Disturbing The Peace debut Light Poles And Palm Trees.
The good thing about Field Mob is that fact that the South is on a huge upswing in popularity thanks to people like Outkast, Paul Wall, Mike Jones, Bun B, Ludacris, Chamillionaire, Dem Franchise Boyz, and countless others. Luckily, they don't sound like anybody mentioned, which sets them apart from anybody out there. They have a underlying comedic tone to their lyrics and sound, but the finished product still comes off as skillfully done and nowhere near primitive. Listening to an album track like "Baby Bend Over" will have you bobbing your head and laughing, but then play the very next track titled "Smilin'" and you'll hear them discuss the hater-ation from people around the way who wish they could be in their shoes. The first single "So What" features Jazze Pha on the boards and Ciara providing the hook, a formula that's been working as far as getting attention and airplay. And after a hilarious skit about Boondox's dark complexion, he offers the reflective track "Blacker The Berry," an inspiring track on what it's like being who he is.
Then there are the tracks that just meant to bump at volume 10 in your car stereos like "My Wheels," "1, 2, 3" and "Pistol Grip." Other standouts include the certified summer cut "At The Park," the aforementioned "Georgia," the provocative "Eat Em Up, Beat Em Up," and the mellow track "Sorry Baby" with Bobby Valentino. The only tracks that disrupt the flow include "Area Code 229" with its amateurish outcome, the rock-infused "I Hate You" that they could have done without, and the singing on "It's Over" will have you proclaiming just that in the first 45 seconds of the song! Despite the few blemishes, Field Mob still manages to give us an album worth checking out with Light Poles and Palm Trees.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Beneath The Field Mob Standard {3 Stars}, June 25, 2006
Before you click "no", hear me out.
If you love the southern sound and can't get enough of it, then you probably think this is a 5 star album.
If you can't stand the southern sound and simply can't take anymore of it, then you probably think this is a 1 star album.
I stand in between the two sides and this is just a 3 star album to me. This is coming from someone that owns all three of their albums (I loved their first album). As far as content goes, this album is a step backward from their last album (From The Roota To The Toota). While they had a nice blend of uplifitng and typical southern songs, this album is more typical than anything else. Are there good songs on this album? Definitely. Are the beats tight? Yes they are. What I'm saying is, the little bit of substance they exhibited on their second album has all but disappeared. There are some good tracks to be found though. I can't get enough of "So What" and "At The Park" because of the feel good party vibes I get from them. "Area Code 229", though somewhat silly, is still catchy. "Blacker The Berry" shows what Field Mob is capable of when they actually put some effort into what they do.
The problem with this album is the amount of generic content. Tracks like "Baby Bend Over", "Eat 'Em Up, Beat 'Em Up", and "My Wheels" (despite decent production) are the most unoriginal and lazy songs I've heard in a while (I can only take so much babbling about ridin' rims and gettin' laid). I firmly believe that this kind of stuff is beneath them. Just check out the awful "Pistol Grip". It's a perfect example of what I'm getting at.
Light Poles & Pine Trees is a solid album to me. I still believe that Shawn Jay and Smoke have very unique and original flows, and when they get good topics and good production, that's when they REALLY shine. They trip up when they lower themselves to do generic tracks dedicated to rims and gettin' head. I think Field Mob can do SO MUCH BETTER and this stuff their putting out is below them. It's kind of like when you see a prospect that you know can become an elite player, but they don't realize their potential yet, so they settle for being good instead of great. I hear two exceptional rappers doing below average songs because they don't seem to realize that they're as good as they really are. Maybe I'm expecting too much from them. Like I said before, how you percieve this album depends on how you view southern rap. Some love it, some hate it. I don't belong to either extreme, I just like it. You probably will too, but if you don't think they can do better, you may be kidding yourself.
Standout Tracks: Sorry Baby, Blacker The Berry (My Favorite), So What feat. Ciara, 1 2 3, At The Park, and Georgia feat. Ludacris & Jamie Foxx
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Light Poles and Pine Trees is not that good., June 20, 2006
Light Poles & Pine Trees * 1/2 Stars
Field Mob has made some good albums in the past, but this one is a mess, the lyrical content is completely confused, the writing is awful, the beats are so silly and the everything else is just so ridiculous and predicable, it's useless.
and it's over the top.
If you like field mob, go pick up their first 2 albums instead.
Thumbs Way Down for Me.
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