Customer Reviews

Spirit in Stone

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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!!!!!

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.

This album takes a couple listens to catch on, but once it hits you how good of a listen this is, you are hooked. Spirit in Stone has a perfect balance of clever lyrics, innovative beats, and hooks that are as melodic as they are catchy. This album is a definite smooth listen from start to finish. The song concepts are creative, and so unorthodox that it takes time to realize that the songs are all sung by the same two guys. Definitely buy this album if you are down with underground hip hop that has a fresh yet highly enjoyable style. This album is TIGHT and should be given more recognition.

This album took a while to come out (it seemed like a decade ago when the 12"'s were released), but it's here, and it's good. Really good. No, seriously. The entire Quannum collective is represented on this album in some fashion (except for D-Sharp and Joyo)... Gab kills it on "Livin' Time" and everyone shines on "Emerge." "Soldierfied" is probably one of the best intro's to an album I have ever heard. There is not a single slacker in the track listing, so check out the newest additions to the Quannum crew, right here.

This is definitely one of the best hip hop albums of the year. The beats and production are incredible, as well as the rhymes. It makes sense these guys are on the Quannum label. I saw them live when they opened for Spearhead...and they ripped it, a lot of energy. This album is a must have, and if you have the chance, check them out live.

This album is nothing but arsen. Jumbo drops the hottest verse on "It's Over". You listen to that track, and well its over. The insanity continues on tracks like "Resist". Words can't really describe this effort, you gotta listen...they have something to say. Please excuse his bleeding pen...he just murdered an MC.

The beats on this album are incredible. Any true beat junkie would fall in love with this album as soon as they hear the hook to "It's Over" or "Coming Through". To add to that, both Jumbo and Vursatyl have incredible flow, rivaling Quannum labelmate Gift of Gab for complexity and depth,.

A warning though - Lifesavas wear their politics and religion on their sleeves. Lines in "Livin Time/Life: Movement 1" and annoyingly preachy but somewhat funny "State of the World" defiantly declare their pro-life, traditional values stance. A few lines about cloning, abortion, and darwinism seemed really backward to me, so if you're really sensitive to those issues, give the whole album a listen first.but On the whole, though, Livesavas' message is positive, and the best parts of the album are just too hot for most hip-hop fans to miss out on.

This album is extremely tight. If you listen to any Shadow, Quannum, Zion I, or other west coast underground, you need to pick up this album. The hype is much deserved and for real. Gift of Gab, Lateef, Lyrics Born, J-Live, and others all grace the album but the Lifesavas more than stay the main focus and deliver one of the best albums of the year. Not much more to say besides if you are on the fence about this release, just buy it and you won't be disappointed.

Positive without being pointless, intelligent without being pretentious, Lifesavas strike a perfect balance between west coast happy-rap and "conscious" rappers on their debut album. This album is all about enjoying life, being a well-rounded person, and standing up for what you believe in. There is something for everyone on this album, and it gets better every time I listen to it.