By shelz.

Even without a listen, Face In The Crowd is striking.  Hip-Hop has become a game of ego one-upmanship stuffed with self-appointed dons and CEOs; legends in their own minds. “The game needs me.”  “Everything I do is a movie.”  “If you don’t have me in your top five you lost.”  Claims that have become so overwhelmingly common, they have turned the theme of “I’m number one. No, sorry I lied. I’m number 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5” to meaningless drivel.  Coming up on the opposite side is Edo. G.  He’s one of many, a cog in the machine, but necessary nonetheless. It’s refreshing enough to capture you before you press play.

The album starts you off with a sinister intro.  A slow, descending guitar riff with scratches on top introduces Mr. G and lays the red carpet for the Primo-produced“Fast Lanes” with smooth strings and comfy piano tinkering. An edge is added to the tranquility of it all with KRS-1’s scratched-in lyrics from “Criminal Minded ’08.”  Edo drops some jewels on creating longevity and respecting not only your positioning, but the folks that helped put you there.

“I Was There” is an early 90’s time capsule, shouting out everyone from Teddy Ted to Ralph McDaniels to Diamond D.  It was the Golden Era, before rappers were divas and everyone wanted to be a pop star. The slice of history sits atop an M-Phazes track with digitally-tweaked, sliding plates of synth, garnished with electro sparklers and finished up with some thump slipped underneath.

“Righteous Way” finds Edo weaving through challenges both personal and professional.  You know he comes out on top, calling for Hip-Hop transparency, bigging up the indie route and taking  shots at the lesser rap representers.  All of this is piled on a Curtis Mayfield sample that makes me want to pull out my copy of Curtis. Beautiful.

Special Teams lends a hand to the Astronot0-produced “Like That.” It’s all sinister keys and hollow percussion like the track was crafted in a dungeon.  The feeling is transferred into the lyricism as the trio warns slick tongues of the urban jungle consequences.  They’re not to be fooled with. Word to Jaysuan.

The Honey Drippers “Impeach the President” sample makes an appearance on “Drink Up,” a satirical look at the club/drink culture. Edo’s flow seems awkward at times, but it’s still an enjoyable listen. This should be the last call theme at every bar.

By far, the best song on the album is the Statik Selektah produced “Speak Ur Mind.”  It’s an open letter to the black community and an each-one-teach-one call for a thoughtful, open door policy.  Let’s build, make some things happen, unify. M-1 from dead prez offers a great feature as his lyrics snake over Statik’s tumbadoras and piano; promoting dreams over despair.  Charli 2na’s feature on the Max Mostley produced “Life” is also a grand addition to the album, with his quick and aggressive flow. The bars sound like a lesson in focus and responsibility you would pick up from your favorite uncle.  Make sure you pay attention.

It’s not all memory lane loveliness though.  There are interludes, intros and outros.  They do act as bridges in the themes, but they stifle the flow. The track for “Only You” drags and the featured synth affect sounds like a whoopee cushion.  Props to Edo for finding a singer to handle his hooks instead of doing it himself though. “One Two” teases from the offset with a wonderful piano sample, but sputters around chaotically, never delivering on the promise of its first few seconds.

Face In The Crowd caters to the listening taste of the first generation fan wonderfully as the schism between the old heads and new school widens.  It also confirms that there is an established audience for the purist sound and.  Edo picked his beats wisely, rode them deftly and kept his features as enhancements, not allowing them to become surprise stars of the tracks. He also brought a maturity to the project that doesn’t always go hand in hand with Hip-Hop. Edo G. may just be one face, but on this album he stands head and shoulders above the crowd.

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3.75 Out of 5