3.0 out of 5 stars
Fat Jon & Styrofoam - The Same Channel, April 7, 2011
This review is from: Same Channel (Dig) (Audio CD)
This seems like an odd combination: Styrofoam (known for his more abstract compositions on Morr Music) and Fat Jon (known for his soul-oriented recordings on Mush and Exceptional. When they bump heads on _The Same Channel_, the blend of Styrofoam's melancholy music (as on "Generic Genes") with Fat Jon's agile but gruff rapping and matches uneasily. I suppose, overall, the lyrics are the most problematic aspect of the album: both Fat Jon and Styrofoam sound similar on "Bleed" and "Runnin' Circles" -- tracks that are too alike to warrant being next to each other. There's a bit more romance to Jon's voice on "Nervous Inaction," however, and some sunniness in both of their voices on "Upgrade." Jon's beatcrafting, however, proves a good complement to Styrofoam's delicate melodies, the foot-tapping fun of "Space Gangsta." And as upbeat as "Upgrade" is, the reprise at the end of the album is all moodiness. The results are interesting, if not entirely successful.
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