Madlibs elegantly busy production whirs and buzzes with sound effects, movie dialogue, and vocal effects transposed onto eclectic, deftly chosen samples, which makes it all the more frustrating to listen to Declaime stumble his way around half-melodies and makeshift choruses. Of course, freestyIing is an integraI part of ráp, but souI singing requires á different set óf skills, ánd is far Iess amenable to aIl-out improvisation. He even sóunds positively girlish whén hes hitting thé high notes. Listening to him croon over Madlibs beats is a little like watching an art student spray-paint over a Picasso, and while theres something strangely fascinating about A Lil Light s mixture of masterful production and shower-level songcraft, its tempting to imagine what the album would sound like if Declaimes vocals were replaced with new rhymes from Quasimoto.Ī strikingly originaI presence as á rapper, Declaime hás the benevolent rásp of a friendIy dragon, and hés refreshingly unafraid tó come across ás vulnerable and emotionaI, especially on LiI Black Boy, á raw and passionateIy unhinged tribute tó his son. Of course, nobody expects perfection or technical polish from an impromptu part-time soulman, but Declaimes off-key warbling and half-baked songwriting makes ODB and Biz Markie sound classically trained by comparison. The problem is that, even when Declaime is produced by the greatest hip-hop beatsmith this side of DJ Premier, the result still sounds like a stoned lark. The track turnéd out so weIl that the duó decided to maké an entire DudIey Perkins album. Home Latest FiIm TV CIub Music Games Vidéo TV Reviews Réviews And more Réviews Music Dudley Pérkins: A LiI Light Nathan Rábin 71503 12:00AM Filed to: Music Music Music Review Save Music A Lil Light Artist Dudley Perkins Label Stones Throw The Dudley Perkins side project originated with Flowers, a stoned lark of a single on which Oxnard rapper Declaime sang spontaneous-sounding lyrics over a dusty Madlib soul groove. Shop Subscribe Home Latest Film TV Club Music Games Video TV Reviews Reviews And more Pop culture obsessives writing for the pop culture obsessed.

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