Spirit in Stone

Lifesavas | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 1, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Quannum Projects
• ASIN: B00009WVO4
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #289,525 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

From URB Magazine

As the latest Quannum signees, Portland’s Lifesavas arrive with some extra-large Nikes to fill. Specifically, the Northwest duo will be instantly judged and compared against the output of their labelmates and mentors, Blackalicious. Not to worry, because on their debut, Jumbo the Garbageman and Vursatyl make their Quannum/Soulsides crew proud, even if their album holds a bit too close to the company blueprint—call it Blackalicious 2.0. After all, like Gab and Xcel, the Lifesavas are perpetrators of soul-baked hip-hop dotted with social/spiritual awareness, sharp battle skills, and an idealistic Left Coast outlook that appeals equally to backpack-toting heads and crunchy boho types. Rhyming stylishly and cleverly over beats that smartly balance deep-funk and post-Premier jitters, Lifesavas invoke all corners of the pan-African Diaspora, from the gospel-ized intro to "Me" to the dancehall tinge of "Fever." Even better, the duo display a sense of humor on the goofy sing-along, "Hello Hi Hey," where they skewer wannabe MCs and themselves with equal conviction.

Michael Endelman

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can it GET any better than this?!, April 30, 2004

By 

Ted Gloun (Dunedin, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spirit in Stone (Audio CD)

First off, Vursatyl is the type of emcee who will leave you stunned and speechless. Track after track he runs through masterfully crafted verses with a distinct, soulful delivery while making use of a barrage of styles that are unique to each song. As far as production is concerned, Jumbo is only a few steps away from matching skills with the Mighty Chief Xcel himself (who produced two of the album's tracks: "Soldierfied" and "Emerge"). The beats are every bit as thought-out and intelligent as the lyrics that grace them. You won't find any of the bland, assembly-line beats you'd find on a Battle-Axe or Rawkus release here. As far as I'm concerned, this is an absolute classic hip hop album. DO NOT pass this one up!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars life in stone.......hiphop's building material, March 15, 2004

By 

gavin redmond "phrase" (rep of ireland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spirit in Stone (Audio CD)

To put this simply.."GO COP THIS QUICK!!!!" It is an underground gem that doesnt deserve to be overlooked. There is a wide range of material on this so everyone will find s'thing they like on it. They seem to have a winning formula that shines on every track. There is 7 tracks that are nothing short of "perfect" and they are "soldierfied", "its over", "what if its true?", "l.i.f.e.", "fever" (my personal favourite), "resist" and "skeletons". Then you have another 6 at least that are damn close, which are better than most other bands "best joints". I swear, after being blessed enough to catch them live in DUBLIN a few months back(with arrested development and spooks) i knew they were dynamite. Dont let this album pass you buy. Great production, as you would expect from any quannum release, and mc's in the same vein as "gift of gab" from blackalicious you can only expect a bomb!!!!!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars too much..., November 22, 2003

By 

"notbadchamp" (THE BAY!) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spirit in Stone (Audio CD)

this album has got to be one of the greatest discs to make it in my changer... i had to take out a living legends cd out to make room. the legends NEVER leave my car. i saw these guys at CaliComm 02 and they killed it. They do the same on this album. I play it over and over and it never gets burnt. but what can you expect from a Quannum group... their whole label puts out nothing but quality.