Customer Reviews

Same !@#$ Different Day (Bonus Dvd)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In general, I dislike remixes. If the product was good to begin with, why mess with the formula? When LATER THAT DAY dropped, I thougt that it was a solid album, albeit a bit disappointing. Lyrics Born just generates greater expecations. When I heard that a remix album was coming, my thinking was along the lines of, "Eh..."

However, SAME ! @#$ DIFFERENT DAY is the rare remix album that improves upon the original. And not just by a little bit, this is a vastly superior product. Even though LB possesses one of the most most distinctive voices in hip hop, he seems to produce better work when collaborating with others. To that end, guests galore were brought in, either as remix producers or to share the mic. "Pack Up" is awesome, although Evidence's Guru-esque flow sounds a bit out of place on a track that features the high energy of LB and KRS-One. And I can't thank LB enough for bringing in E-40 to share the mic with him and Casual. Far too often 40 Water has been denied the accolades he deserves by backpackers. Hopefully, this will cause some of them to see that he is truly a Bay Area legend.

SAME ! @#$ DIFFERENT DAY is a great album along with most of what we have come to expect from Quannum. I think it's one of the best of 2005.

I found this CD yesterday on accident. I'm a HUGE fan of all of the Quannum artists (Blackalicious, Lateef, Joyo Velarde, DJ Shadow) and was just looking around in the L section of the record store when I saw this. Now I usually wouldn't buy a 'remix' album. I mean, I assume that it would just be the same songs rehashed. But I knew this one would be different. I was right. This is an AMAZING CD with new songs as well as great takes on old favorites. Here's how I rated each song:

1. Intro (4 Stars) - Well, this is an intro... but it keeps with the same vein as LTD, and I liked the ambient feel.

2. Hello (5 Stars) - Wow, I haven't heard much of Lifesavas, but their production can be felt on here. Easily as funky as DJ Shadow or Lyrics Born's own beats, this is a great song to start the album off with. (It's weird that it ENDED the last CD). Very dancable.

3. Pack Up (4 Stars) - This was a great song, and it was great to hear the Godfather, KRS-One, as well as Evidence spitting on this track. It wasn't as unique as the others, so I don't give it five stars, but still a song to bump in your car.

4. I'm Just Raw (4.5 Stars) - Very funny and intelligent battle rap. Good to hear a rapper come up with reasons why he's good besides his b*****s and money.

5. Do That There (5 Stars!) - Wow, one of my favorite moments on LTD was the nonsense of the third verse of Do That There, and him rhyming 100 words that were off-the-wall. Now he gives us a WHOLE song where he does this, and it rivals the flowing ability of Gift of Gab. My third favorite song on this CD.

6. I Changed My Mind (Rattlesnake Mix) (4 Stars) - Very funky, very original. I like hearing Lyrics Born belt the funk and take a break from rap, but seemed too long after a while.

7. Bad Dreams Interlude (5 Stars) - Great way to remind us of the FIRST Bad Dreams cut.

8. Shake It Off (5 Stars and more...) - This is my favorite song on the CD, and the one where he doesn't rap. A lot of people where tripping when he sang on his first CD, but people don't realize that this is Bay Area HIP-HOP, not RAP. Hip-Hop is being funky, and flowing over a great DJ or producer, whether it be singing or rapping. And he really funks it up to the level of Sly or P-Funk.

9. The Last Trumpet (4.5 Stars) - First mellow song, and done properly by DJ Shadow. I enjoyed it, but it still seemed too similar to the first cut, so I couldn't give it 5 stars.

10. Over You (3.5 Stars) - Not totally feeling this one yet, may need to listen to it in the right mood. Not bad, but his next track is a better duet with Joyo.

11. I Can't Wait For Your Love (5 Stars) - This song is more proof that Lyrics CAN speed it up AND slow it down whenever he darn well feels like it. And I'm not stopping him. Very poignant song.

12. The Bay (4 Stars) - Nice song, good to hear a shout-out to the area responsible for such great underground hip-hop. I wasn't feeling the LB feel as much on this, but a great track nonetheless.

13. Callin' Out (4.5 Stars) - And here, the funk comes back in. Tight track, E-40 should've rapped at his normal pitch, but overall keeps the party goin'.

14. Outro (5 Stars) - Nice outro, tones it down for us.

15. Stop Complaining (5 Stars) - Holy crap, more songs? Nice! This is my 2nd fav, and it's VERY funky. I actually didn't like the beat at all on the original, but I can listen to this song 5 times in a row, and STILL hit repeat. LB & Capricorn work well together.

16. I Changed My Mind (DJ Spinna mix) (3.5 Stars) - It was a good song, but it wasn't right for this CD. If it was on a DJ's CD, or maybe on a more relaxed CD, I wouldn't mind. But I'd rather listen to the Stereo MC's version to keep with the LB funk explosion.

Overall, this CD is well worth its money, and I would've even payed double for it. I played it at a party that same night (last night), and had all the girls dancing in a second. Get this CD if you like funk, underground hip-hop, soul, or if you're just looking for that feel-good CD.

"Same S!@#$ Different Day" is one of those rare occurances where the remix album is stronger than the original album. I thought the original Later That Day was good but it didn't do that much for me. This remix album is underground hiphop from the bay area, with good beats.

The Quannum-label as usual, means it's good stuff. The beats are stronger on the remix album. The songs seem to have more energy.

It's odd that the album is tighter on the second go-around. Well worth the affordable list price!

My expectations are alwasy high when listening to anything from the Quannum crew. Lyrics Born does not come even close to dissappointing.

He does sound a bit similar to Gift of Gab when he rhymes, but maybe a tad more eccentric. Beyond that, Lyrics Born can also sing a bit too, offering up a sort of blues influenced croon. The best part is, his crooning actually works really well. I'd go as far to say that if he was introduced to me as a croon, not a rapper, I'd buy it.

There are two mainhighlights of the album for me, the guest appearance from KRS-One and the track with the Morcheeba production.

Anyhow, a wonderful album to pick up if you're looking for some quality hip-hop beyond the garbage on top 40 radio and music videos.

It's 2005 and, since his beginnings as MC Asia Born, Lyrics Born has undergone a massive artistic transformation. The high-pitched freestyle ramblings, off-kilter flows, and nonconformity that once defined Latyrx and the Quannum Projects collective are completely absent from "Same !@#$ Different Day."

Instead, LB has mastered his craft as both a versatile emcee and, in the post-Jay-Z era of hip-hop, involuntary businessman. The insipid beats found on "Later That Day" have been replaced with top-notch production from Jumbo The Garbageman, Dan The Automator, Chief Xcel, and DJ Shadow; and the album also includes a DVD chronicling Lyrics Born's career.

But the true highlight of "SSDD" is LB's phenomenal range. He gets downright funky one minute ["Do That There (Hoo Hoo Mix)"], and vents all of his angers and frustrations the next ("Shake It Off"). On "I'm Just Raw," LB utilizes a Stuart Smalley (of SNL fame) phrase to belittle his competitors, and then croons his heart out on "I Change My Mind (Rattlesnake Mix)." The already larger-than-life political anthem, "The Last Trumpet," is remixed into a Latyrx classic; complete with paranoid whispers, a DJ Shadow scratch solo, and progressive warnings of the country Americans REALLY live in. The album then climaxes with "I Can't Wait For Your Love," LB and Chief Xcel's ode to committed couples, and "Callin' Out (Remix)," where E-40 and Casual drop candy-painted flows bound to get a few rumps shaking.

In terms of faults, the sequencing on "SSDD" could have been better. DJ Spinna's remix of "I Changed My Mind" is both poorly executed and blatantly unnecessary, while Morcheeba's remix of "Stop Complaining" would have fit in around mid-album.

Other than that, however, Lyrics Born has created his most cohesive album - group-wise or solo - with "SSDD." The album deserves your ducats for its sheer positivity and ambitious lyricism, if not for its rock solid production. Lyrics Born - already the best live performer in Quannum - can now claim bragging rights as one of the label's premier artists; and after 12 years of grinding it out on the independent hip-hop scene, those rights are well deserved.

Rating:B+
Well Lyrics Born and friends have done it once again, creating an album that is leaques above and beyond what comes out on a regular basis from the age old hip-hop community. Somehow LB makes his old songs sound brand new, as his mike-skills seem to be getting continually better, and the guest stars on the album only help the cd flow that much better, with not a single track that needs to be skipped. Where most rap albums nowadays are based around the strong radio-hits with influential producers providing the base for the club friendly, underground music has a way of flowing so well that you wonder why others don't take this dynamic and soulful of an approach to creating their albums. While Later That Day does just inch this album out by a bit, this is such a great companion piece to that album that, to say that they go hand in hand is a vast understatement. Ya just gotta love the Dj Shadow tracks too, as this man has got mad skills and it shows through as his tracks are some of the standout classics of this phenomenal album (read the liner notes too, its some funny s#!t).
Production value is crisp, the package design is well done and compliments LTD, and overall the album just kicks mad @ss. I was worried that the hip-hop genre was getting stale, especially after Eminems last craptacularly basic album; but hey I stand proven wrong and I'm glad too because music doesn't need to be going in this continual downward spiral of repetitiveness, and basic standard routine. I'm sure most will welcome this album with open arms, especially those who enjoyed the previous effort or even Latyrx old-school stuff too. Thanks LB, you the man and thanks for helpinh my faith in music in general to be renewed.

Quannum projects co-founder is back with a remix album of his solo debut Later That Day. Lyrics Born has been makin moves for years on the hip hop scene and now he drops an album that branches out to some other styles. While its still same ol same ol Quannum with Jumbo, Xcel, & Shadow on most of the beats he branches out and works with several new people such as Evidence (Dilated Peoples), KRS-One, E-40, & Herio alum Casual, plus the typical quannum cats Lateef & his wife Joyo Velarde. If you don't know LB, then let me say he likes to fuse multiple genres together and form some crazy bumpin music. Wether its some bluesly/reggae music (Over You #10) or some raw funkyness (Stop Complaining #15) he mixes it up well all the while droping consistent hot lines. All of the music on this album is impressive even if some of it is not your typical hip hop beats. LB is no slack on the mic either, his flow is always changing and he always has something to say. On "Im Just Raw" (4) he comes with the raw battle rhymes that so many emcees forget about once they make it. LB has the album open with two Jumbo bangers (Oregon!!!) and i will just say that i can not wait for the next Lifesava's album cause these beats are awesome and the emcee's do not disappoint, most definetly the two best beats on the album. Latryx comes together for the remix of "The Last Trumpet" which is an amazing song with some very importent lyrics. If you have any preconcieved notions about remix albums then let this album put them to rest. They may not sell millions of albums but they release quatlity music that true fans of music as art can apprciate

i don't really have anything else to add to what everyone has already said in these reviews, but i wanted to push this album up towards 5 stars. another quality quannum album, thanks again for the good work.

This one is better than later that day. Better than the latryx album. By far the best thing LB has done to date. The beats fit really well with his laid back style, which is as laid back as ever. LB just sounds so cool. I think thats why I listen to him. Hes got the best voice, second to MF Doom, and he raps like hes in the room talking to you. Its good stuff. I highly recommend this album to anyone.

maybe i'm just nuts, in fact i probably am. at least that's what my last therapist said. regardless - this is the best hiphop album to drop in 2005 - all you palookas out there still listenin to lame hip POP need to toss out your old eminem, 50 cent, li'l jon, and... well you get the idea. use 'em for coasters or somethin'. but LISTEN to this cd. even better get it on 12". this is the truest and illest hiphop currently, the fact that The Blastmaster Himself KRS-One appears on the album should be proof enough of that for any true hed. can we get Chuck D on the next Quannum? i WISH someone would bring back '88... before hiphop went all screwy. LB and crew (and special honored guests) are here to straighten it, and YOU, out. word.