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RJD2 - THE THIRD HAND
Intro / You Never Had It / Have Mercy / Reality / Work It Out / Laws Of The Gods / Get It / Someday / Murs Beat / Beyond / Sweet Piece / Rules / Legends / Just When / Evening Gospel
XL RECORDINGS
Ditching his notoriety as a serious hip-hop producer and ultra cool dance music pioneer for the time being, THE THIRD HAND, the latest album from 30 year old Philadelphia multi-instrumentalist RJD2, sees him playing the serious muso card, showing off all his up to now hidden singer/songwriter credentials.
Produced, performed and written by himself in his basement studio, THE THIRD HAND finds RJD2 striving for some serious singer/songwriter credibility, an attempt to widen his cult appeal to encompass a more mass appeal audience. THE THIRD HAND is a record though, that its perhaps a lot easier to appreciate and admire than it is to love, you can listen to it and marvel at the lush production skills, the cool retro vibes and the accomplished songwriting prowess; but you'll have more trouble actually wholeheartedly enjoying it and revelling in the songs. Its maybe the fact that this is a record produced, performed and written by RJD2 alone in his basement that lies at the core of the problem; an overall cold and clinical feel to proceedings, a record that lacks that warmth and spontaneity that can only come from a band of human beings getting together, trading ideas and sounds and interacting.
Songs like YOU NEVER HAD IT and REALITY are skilful lessons in classic songwriting and slick production, you can tell RJD2 has been hugely influenced by the likes of Brian Wilson, Stevie Wonder and Jon Brion here; but these are ultimately songs that never really completely satisfy, songs that struggle to hold your attention, pleasant but ultimately forgettable affairs. This is a constant issue with THE THIRD HAND, the songs floating by in a haze of pleasantness and mild attraction, but unfortunately mired in such a mist of MOR styled sense of the average that they hardly ever leave you anything but vaguely intrigued.
The occasional song does however raise the game slightly, the naggingly infectious nature of LAWS OF THE GODS or the sly neo-funk of GET IT proving a case in point, whilst elsewhere JUST WHEN serves as a decent slice of pretty ambient pop; kind of Air meets Money Mark and album climax EVENING GOSPEL provides a chilled out ending to proceedings, RJD2 crooning softly over lush keyboard chords and soothing guitar licks.
THE THIRD HAND finds RJD2 delivering a record that ultimately plays out with a sense of dull MOR sheen rather than with anything more intriguing or inspiring to display. A definite case of nice and pleasant instead of attention grabbing, THE THIRD HAND is a record easy to admire but harder to love.
BIOGRAPHY
Catapulted to notoriety, fame, and serious hip-hop credibility with 2002’s Dead Ringer LP, Philadelphia based DJ and multi-instrumentalist RJD2 has enjoyed a thoroughly prolific career; following that debut album with 2004’s critically acclaimed Since We Last Spoke.
For The Third Hand, RJD2 seemingly abandons all the notions and titles that have been placed upon him over the past 5 years. Underground hip-hop super-producer to some, virtuoso sample-based instrumental wizard to others, RJD2 embodies all of these things on “The Third Hand” but placates none who seek more of the same. Recorded, performed, arranged, and produced entirely by himself in his basement studio, RJD2 commands his trusty MPC 2000XL sampler/sequencer alongside analog synths, electric pianos and guitars, not to mention his own voice.
The result is a cohesive pop album in the most classic sense, a sound more akin to Phoenix than Prefuse 73. In essence, this is RJD2’s entrance into the continuum of enigmatic songwriter/producers (see Jon Brion, Brian Wilson, Stevie Wonder) capable of creating a record full of rich songwriting, complex arrangement, and clever production that they transcend genre distinction and warrant an intent listen every time. The current state of music? As long as RJD2 keeps refining the sound of today with records like THE THIRD HAND, we should be just fine.
LINE UP
RJD2
DISCOGRAPHY
THE THIRD HAND (XL Recordings>2007)
Intro
You Never Had It
Have Mercy
Reality
Work It Out
Laws Of The Gods
Get It
Someday
Murs Beat
Beyond
Sweet Piece
Rules
Legends
Just When
Evening Gospel
LINKS
XL Recordings>www.xlrecordings.com
FURTHER LISTENING
Air
Money Mark
The Beach Boys
Review date: February 2007 |
