Third Hand

RJD2 | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Number of Discs: 1
• ASIN: B000MR9EQ2
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #847,448 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

From its opening instrumental lullaby, The Third Hand crafts a double-edged case for Rjd2's departure as the Definitive Jux label's reigning hip-hop producer-of-record. On the one hand, there's nary a straightforward hip-hop cut to be found; Rjd2 plays every syrupy lick of these 15 tracks himself, mostly eschewing his much-used sampler in favor of live instruments and the voice he began testing with 2004's Since We Last Spoke. On the other hand, hip-shakers like "Reality," "Get It," and "Sweet Piece" offer evidentiary beat-workouts that suggest Rjd2's Jux-taposing his past with a newly insular approach to pop composition that bears almost no resemblance to the rhythmic spine that anchored 2002's Dead Ringer and recent outings, with emcee Blueprint, as Soul Position. On The Third Hand, this strange, new alchemy melds a seasoned confidence on the boards with a boldly accruing taste for tempered textures and shifting chord progressions ("You Never Had It So Good," "Laws of the Gods," "Paper Bubble"). The result is a watershed. Long-time fans with elastic adoration will turn a thrilling corner, and for those less ready to follow Rjd2s explorations, there's "Rules for Normal Living," which proves that the man can still modulate a bass like nobody's business. --Jason Kirk

Product Description

For 'The Third Hand', RJD2 seemingly abandons all the notions and titles that have been placed upon him. Underground hip-hop super-producer to many, virtuoso samplebased instrumental wizard to some, RJD2 embodies all of these things on "The Third Hand" but goes further. Recorded, performed, arranged, and produced entirely by himself in his basementstudio, RJD2 commands his trusty MPC 2000XL sampler/sequencer alongside a pantheon of analog synths, electric pianos and guitars, not to mention his own voice. Most notably, live instruments come in to play. The result is a cohesive pop album in the most classic sense , a sound more akin to Phoenix than, say, Prefuse 73. In essence, this is RJD2's entrance into the pantheon of enigmatic songwriter/producers (see Jon Brion, Brian Wilson, Stevie Wonder) capable of creating a record of rich songwriting, complex arrangements, and clever production.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars uhhhhhhh....., March 8, 2007

By 

ssf - See all my reviews

This review is from: Third Hand (Audio CD)

I COULDN'T WAIT for this album to come out. I mean, I stake my musical reputation on "Deadringer" and "Since We Last Spoke." Customers saw me giggling like a little girl as I dashed out of the music store to my car, frantically tearing at the shrinkwrap on the album (which was surprisingly easy to get off, I might add). I slid the disc in and took off on some errands.

However, instead of ripping through traffic headbanging to jams like "Exotic Talk," I ended up ripping through traffic angrily bashing my radio with my fist, wondering why my disc changer decided to play one of my girlfriend's whiny-voice pop CDs instead of my beloved RJ.

Then it hit me. I recalled the transition: the sweet, sweet Deadringer to the kickass SWLS. But wait - I had forgotten the oft-skipped tracks on the latter, with the mediocre lyrics and toned-down instrumentals. I had also pushed out of my mind RJ's departure from Def Jux, suggesting a more mainstream, poppy musical path.

What was once progressive hip-hop's best has turned into poor man's Beck. It would be as if Buckethead suddenly fancied himself a lyricist, took off his mask, and started crooning on stage. Don't get me wrong, the music is OK, and flows pretty well, and I know some will argue that it demonstrates progression and maturity of an artist, but I was hoping to ride the dream for at least one more album. I DIDN'T SIGN UP FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS!

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not at all what I expected, March 25, 2007

By 

Brandon McComber - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Third Hand (Audio CD)

Well, I feel bad about recommending this one to the kid at Best Buy who asked about it when I checked out.

Sitting at home, reading the ads on a Sunday afternoon, and saw a little blurb about this disc. Available now! Once I got over the "hey, rjd2 is getting some recognition from the big retailers!" thought, I realized I had to buy it immediately, and going strictly on what I knew and loved from his past work, didn't even bother to read any reviews or visit good old amazon.
If only I'd known what awaited.
Now, I'll start by saying that it isn't absolutely terrible. There are those moments on this disk that are decent, and point towards something good. The problem I have is this; it doesn't sound at all like anything I was hoping to hear. I'm basically running to my car, excited to blast down the road thumping and nodding my head through traffic on a surprisingly nice March day, and instead I've got some strange vocals, nothing hitting the foot-tapping region of my brain... I'm stumped.
I skip the track. Same thing. Skip again--and the same again. Take out the disk. Matches the case. Check the case; you can see where this was going.
Shaking my head in disbelief, I put Atmosphere back in and continue on my way, dissapointed with my purchase and one of my favorite artists.

Long story short, I should have learned from Shadow latest release; check the reviews, hear it once, and don't always assume that just because you love the artist that they won't let you down with the... direction, shall we say, they choose to take their music in. I can't recommend this disc to fans of the man's beats, and now I'm probably not going to make as much of a point to see his show when he comes to town this May since he's probably going to be supporting this disc and playing the songs off of it. A shame.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet Peace, February 16, 2010

By 

Ryan Smith "Music Marmalade" (New Brunswick, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Third Hand (Audio CD)

In lieu of reading some of these devastating reviews, I figured I should give my testimony to The Third Hand. I just bought The Colossus and have listened to Rj since Deadringer. Deadringer is one of my top favorite albums, no doubt. The Third Hand I received a little over a year ago and I listen to it constantly... its still in my car. How strange is that? I got it, was like "this is something else..." waited for an MC to appear and got nothing. It took me weeks to warm up to it, but now I can't go with out it. How I see it is, an artist can only go so far with samples. RjD2 is not a 2-bit producer. He is obviously an artist, and artists follow their inspiration. F-ing samples are for anyone who likes jigsaw puzzles. They're amazing, and I'm sure some artists are satisfied sticking with sampling their whole careers. Rj among many other artists is not a puppet to a GENRE, he fluctuates and changes- anything that doesn't isn't real. I'm gonna reference some artists that have done the same thing and lost fans of a genre by changing- Neurosis, Clutch, Amon Tobin, Miles Davis, Coltrane, Isis, Nine Inch Nails, Sage Francis, Tom Waits etc etc etc even Picasso and Pollock!! These people are timeless and commendable for their commitment to their heart and passion. Still, Coltrane didn't give up the Sax and start slapping the bass- and Rj is still rocking samples when he feels it(check The Colossus).

This music is good! If its not your style thats cool, no need to harp on an artist for doing what he does. This album gets a 3 star rating because Rj's fan base is mostly 1-dimensional, and he put out an album in another dimension- no disrespect to the fans, I'm just saying if fans of this type of music knew Rj maybe it would get a higher rating. All I can say is, I got the album, it wasn't what I expected, and it became something I listened to far beyond Deadringer. Give it a shot, especially if you dig this artist.