Customer Reviews

Lightning On The Strings, Thunder On The Mic (Amazon MP3 Exclusive) [Explicit]

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

 

 

I've always loved bluegrass but, as a classically-trained pianist who is old enough to be these guys' mother (or grandmother), I haven't had much good to say about rap. That said, the blending of the two genres really works somehow. I'm impressed.

I have to admit this is one of my favorite, after Amazon advertised it with a few free downloads to preview. It's got the beat, the message, with banjos in the background for a fresh new mix. Your going to love it!

This is one of the most innovative blends of genres to come along in ages. Both genres, rap/hip hop and country/bluegrass needed a good kick in the a** and this disc does that and much more.

It is absolutely brilliant in so many ways. The band's theme song for FX Series Justified brought a great bit of attention to the band, but if they couldn't deliver further it would just be another snippet of a song known only on TV. That's not going to happen with Gangstagrass. This is simply the beginning of something HUGE.

Gangstagrass has blown me away since my first listen. Never thought I'd get to hear two favorite genres - bluegrass & rap - at the SAME time. Their first album (*was* available as a free download) dominated my listening for the past year. On Lightning On The Strings, Gangstagrass, Rench and T.O.N.E-z craft a gorgeous sound - with some interesting storytelling. I'm particularly fond of Tomasia's Big Branch, especially since Cowboy Junkies' Mining For Gold is an all-time favorite song of mine. I started off with Battlestar America's Above Market Value (Rench), moved onto Gangstagrass, and keep coming back - bluegrass and rap are natural partners. Who would've thought?! Clearly a couple of musical geniuses did. Can't say enough good stuff about Gangstagrass and Rench Audio.

Although I never liked rap, I did love bluegrass music. This blend is so unique and riveting and I was extremely pleased. I have listened to it many times and never get bored. Great traveling and cruising music. I highly recommend this CD. I am headed to buy more of this Gangstagrass. Super.

My wife heard the theme song to "Justified" on tv and asked me to download anything I could find by Gangstagrass. This is not a novelty act--you get the feeling the artists understand the very heart-felt link between bluegrass and blues, both of which are predecessors to rap and hiphop whether the urban elite want to admit it or not. This album bends genres but at the same time makes you realize how close all of the genres really are. All of that said, it sounds great with the windows down and the volume up, which is the ultimate test. Trucks in Texas, Firebirds in Alabama, BMWs in NY, it works across all levels. Put your hands up high....!

This is a very strange album to review. I think to properly give it it's due, someone would have to be as well versed with the world of bluegrass as they are with hip hop. Now, I'll be the first to say I'm not a connisseur of bluegrass, so I wouldn't know anything about that. Hip hop, while I'm not the most knowledgeable, I have enough to know what's what.

That said, as I said this is kinda strange for me. There are moments in here where the two genres mix so perfectly that it feels like a work of pure genius. Those moments in which the combination of the bluegrass and hip hop is pretty darn good.

Then there are other moments in which the rapper T.O.N.E-z raps just sounds kinda weird. As if he's having a difficult time matching the music with his flow. However that's not very often, and only in a few places. Overall it's a pretty cool mixing of genres, and is reminiscent of some of the best moments from albums by artists like Everlast and Bubba Sparxxx, who have both used country and bluegrass elements in their music. This, however, may be the first time I've heard a bluegrass band backing a rapper, or a rapper fronting a bluegrass band, for that matter.

There are other moments such as "I'm Gonna Put You Down" which is flat out fantastic on all fronts. While I haven't listened to bluegrass much in my life, there are some songs on here that were just incredible to listen to, and it had me putting them on repeat. You often hear people say "it was like nothing I'd ever heard before.". In this case, it's LITERALLY true. I HAD never heard this type of music before, and it was really good.

And although there were some songs on here that were sans rapping, there were also songs where I kinda wished there was just the bluegrass singing, because while I really liked T.O.N.E-z, those specific songs, the singing is pretty beautiful all in itself, (particularly with the female vocalist) and I think it'd be interesting to hear some of Rench's solo releases.

Most people have probably heard of Gangstagrass & T-O-N-E-z through their song "Long Hard Times To Come", the theme song to the hit FX series "Justified", starring Timothy Olyphant as Deputy US Marshall Raylan Givens. Givens is a character from a few stories by legendary crime novelist Elmore Leonard, who himself is a fan of Gangstagrass.

Leonard, when talking about the group, said that they had "done nothing short of creating a new form of music. Gangstagrass takes two types of music that are opposites and mixes them together brilliantly in a way that is natural and enjoyable."

I think that's a pretty fair way to sum up the group. I think that purists of either genre will probably not find much to like here, as if you're a strict bluegrass fan, you'll probably not like the hip hop, and if you're a die hard hip hop purist, you'll probably shake your head at this. However if you are someone like myself in that you enjoy hearing different types of music, and you love experimenting with different genres, then this could be something you'd be interested in.

Gangstagrass feat. T.O.N.E-z' release "Lightning on the Strings, Thunder on the Mic", aside from being a great title, along with a pretty nice album cover, is a pretty intriguing album in and of itself. Definitely not something you hear everyday, and is a welcome musical addition to the landscape for those who like their music anything but ordinary and bland. Purists on both sides of the hip hop/bluegrass fence will probably blanche at this (and going from some of the Amazon reviews, that's not an outrageous assumption), but those who actually like interesting and different music, and give it a chance, very well might find a satisfying reward for their stepping out from their safety zone.

Recommended for fans of Everlast's "Whitey Ford sings The Blues" and Bubba Sparxxx's "Deliverance" albums.

Love this music! Bluegrass, Banjo, smooth rap, who would have thought? If you like the soundtrack from O Brother Where Art Thou, I bet you'll like this too.

I have played this over and over- and I feel this blend of bluegrass and rap to be a sweet merger! The vocals are excellent, the bluegrass band shines on its own, but also complements this genre. I do not usually listen to rap- but this album has me sold! I would recommend it to anyone looking for something new And high quality. This group is going places!!! Can't wait for the next one! Or a video!? Yes it's explicit, but that is what it is. Everything Rench has is a new experience.

I first heard these guys on "Justified." They have a surprising sound, the album is a lot of fun but also features some pretty deep lyrics. The best track is "I Go Hard."