By shelz.

Donny Goines is a unique character in a Hip-Hop landscape full of pretense and hooliganism.   His love for the genre and his desire to create a more united rap front outweigh any aspiration for rap king status he may secretly harbor.

He also carries a one-for-all mentality in the projects he creates and promotes. In his world, it’s not just about the money.  It’s about recovering the culture and bringing it forward. This idea is represented, in  theory, by his latest offering, The Breakfast Club.

The feature heavy concept album loosely takes its theme from the 80’s cult classic film of the same name.  In the movie, folks with outwardly divergent personalities, hopes, and dreams are forced to co-exist. Through their interaction, they realize they have more in common than they thought.  They bond and use their new found cohesion to accomplish their goals.  It’s a beautiful sentiment, but what The Breakfast Club boasts in theory it lacks in application.

Devoid of a focused narrative, the album throws everything including the kitchen sink at the listener.  The intended feel of eclecticism is replaced by musical schizophrenia, and it leaves the listener wondering if there was a theme outside of presenting a large cast of characters.

Despite the lack of focus, the album has bright spots.  The Dub Z produced, “Don’t Mess With a Woman,” provides Mr. Goines with a funky horn-driven track that he rides well as he weaves a tale of a woman scorned. Amanda Diva and Naledge of Kidz in the Hall provide different perspectives and rhyme schemes on the song, but the diversity works well here as does Miss Diva’s feisty delivery.  “Closer” is helmed solely by Mr. Goines and his comfort with the laid-back Dame Grease track is obvious. He takes the listener on a dreamy journey as he explains how he feels out of this world when his special lady is close. “Sublime” is another song with a good track and decent delivery.  Peter Hadar’s hook is lush, emotional.  The pensive tone of the song is a perfect match for the subject of simple happiness.  However Outasight, the featured emcee, steals the show on this song. This becomes a recurring theme as the album progresses; Mr. Goines frequently takes a back seat to his more talented cast mates.

With five emcees on “What U Expected,” competition is the expectation. Reks takes the lead and his double time fits perfectly into the mid-tempo Statik Selektah track with Termanology, Rain and Big Lou right on his heels.  But DG’s flow is labored and doesn’t settle in well.  Also, with Tanya Morgan on “Grateful,” Goines finds himself fading into the track when compared to the rest of the verses.

Then there are some songs that can’t be saved by anyone.  “Don’t You,” the first track, is poorly constructed and an odd selection for an opener. “Oh No” is supposed to be a rap/rock hybrid, but the heavy metal track doesn’t lend itself well to a Hip-Hop translation.  Goines again has a hard time riding the beat and the distortion is just hard on the ear.  “These Times” is a sad bemoaning of the state of Hip-Hop and an indictment of rap fads, some of which were used in the previous 16 songs.

The characters in the movie, The Breakfast Club, ran the personality spectrum.  However, it was within those differences that they found common ground. The common ground fostered the relationships and uncovered personal strengths in them all.  However, this Breakfast Club is victimized by the relationships Mr. Goines has with his fellow castmates. The strength behind his voice and his personality are hit or miss.  This lack of cohesion hampers his collaborations.  It renders him a bit player and his album an ensemble piece rather than a singular work. While that works for producers like Dre and Kanye, this approach detracts from Goines’ intent to make The Breakfast Club greater than the sum of its parts

out of 5

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