Since We Last Spoke

RJD2

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 18, 2004)
• Original Release Date: May 18, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Definitive Jux
• ASIN: B0001N6MMQ
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #52,266 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Phenomenal Album, May 19, 2004

By	P. Yudson "ilphi" (James Madison University) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

RJD2 makes his triumphant return to your waiting headphones with his sophomore disc, and breaks his own mold. The first thing you may notice on this album is the lack of guest MC's; RJ lets his productions shine in far more diverse ways without being limited to baselines and snares. The second thing you may notice is the variety of genres he bends throughout this 12 track adventure. In addition to the usual soul and blues influence that crosses over RJ's luscious intrumental landscapes, he moves into more rock and new age environments. However, don't let that fool you. Each song evolves slowly, so that as soon as you think you understand the style he's trying for he's turned the track into something different.

I honestly think Since We Last Spoke is even better than Deadringer for what it is. There is no filler here, only a generous helping of what loyal listeners and the uninitiated will love. Some people compare RJD2 to DJ Shadow, and with good reason since both artists are able to compose such soulful and diverse music through hip-hop, but the same comparison always puts RJ as the student and Shadow as the teacher. I've got news though; RJ is on his own learning curve and his evolution is going to be just as exciting to follow. Get this album, you will not be disappointed.

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Musical Masterpiece, June 12, 2004

By	J. McQueen "part man/part machine, all scientist" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

That's right -- musical masterpiece. RJD2 comes with a album that transcends funk.

This album uses synths, organs, electric guitars, trumpets, the piano, etc. With soft elegant vocals (both male and female) throughout the album.

I bought the album already thinking that I might not like it due to others' escription of it, but I was wrong. It is a compelling smooth groove based album.

It is not a beats album made to be MC'ed over.
This is not an album that you blast out of your car. It is a album that you listen to.

19 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some of the best of 2004, October 24, 2004

By	Manny Hernandez "Author of Ning For Dummies" (Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

What happens when you mix a bit of Gorillaz-type rock, with some Groove Armada/Basement Jaxx beats, throw in a tad of DJ Shadow spirits and spice things up with Neptures-level production? Sounds like a pastiche? Well, with a sound that mixes all the feels just described, applied to some carefully chosen samples, RJD2 has come up with the most fascinating eclectic album in a long time!

This has been my first exposure to his music (and certainly not the last one, after what I've heard). From the riffs in the opening title track, you realize you are not in front of a regular production. "Exotic Talk" starts out like a song by Gorillaz and takes on a life of its own with some grandieuse guitar and keys work. "1976" is one of the funkiest tracks on the album, with some contagious percussion and horns that will get you grooving. "Ringer Finger" toys with samples from a bossanova piece, distorting it to the point of making it tough to recognize. "Making Days Longer" is arguably the weakest piece in the album, but even so, it does not leave you unsatisfied.

When you feel the album can't get any better, the best is yet to come. "Someone's Second Kiss" (very reminiscent of DJ Shadow), "To All of You" (a fairly straight up R&B-based track), "Clean Living" (a very Groove Armada-like track), "Iced Lighting" and "Through the Walls" (the two most memorable moments in the album) are each incredible works. "One Day" takes it all back home with a sound that reminds of the Midas touch of the Neptunes (but without them present to work their magic).

In sum, with this third release, RJD2 has established himself as an act to keep our eyes on. Labeled by some as instrumental hip-hop (a term that sounds too limiting to me, to describe such a wide effort), this is, by far, one of the best albums released in 2004.