By Andre Widjaja

Evidence is no lyrical mastermind by any means, nor does he ever claim to be one. His flow is stuck on one speed, so don’t expect to be wowed by intricate bar structures and double time raps, but what he does, he’s particularly adept at: earnest, personal rap.He delivers his songs from an honest place and let’s admit, Hip-Hop has been going through an honesty drought for more than a decade and counting. So when an artist wears his or her heart on their sleeve, we try not to take them for granted. While Evidence is a far cry from a Jay-Z or Nas, he makes do with what he has in his arsenal on his sophomore solo album, Cats and Dogs.

Although he hails from California, Ev’s music has a decided East Coast bent. Most of the production team from his debut album, The Weatherman(The Alchemist, DJ Premier, Sid Roams and Khrysis) , return to create a unified sound throughout the project. With sonic continuity assured Evidence is free to do his thing.

The album commences with a brief explanation of the origin of the saying “it’s raining cats and dogs.” The soulful Aloe Blacc lends his voice on album opener, “The Liner Notes,” as Evidence repeatedly proclaims that, “Ev is here staying…”

On “The Red Carpet,” Alchemist creates an engaging beat by looping a Congress Alley sample. Raekwon and Ras Kass share some knowledge and values about making it from nothing to something. Ev does his best to keep the pace, rhyming “Never chasing fame, dragons, chicks or dead presidents/Dreams, but never snatch chains of any measurements.”

Producers Rahki and Daniel “Danny Keyz” Tannenbaum, create a gritty, hard-hitting instrumental for “It Wasn’t Me.” Evidence shines over a fat bassline and heated percussion while he flaunting his bravado, spitting “I’m halfway to famous, halfway away from infamous.” Even while bragging, he manages to maintain a level of honesty and humility.

On “You.” Ev teams up with DJ Premier for some Hip-Hop magic. Premo lays down his signature loops and bass lines as Evidence reflects on the ups and downs of his career stating that, “part of being a star is being burned in flames.” The song is also a display of his resiliency, not only in his music, but in his life away from the studio as well. “When I lose, I learn, I’m still winning major,” he says.

As stated earlier; Evidence’s strengths are his ability to be introspective and deliver his thoughts with a clear approach. But he seems out of place and lost on heavier cuts such as, “Fame” and “Where You From,” He seems vulnerable and yielding compared to his more aggressive guests including, Prodigy and Termanology. Prodigy brings his uncompromising street swag with lines like, “I carry my guns to school, skipping classes/Fucking girl backstage in the auditorium/ while you hitting the books, I was hitting shorty up”. Although no one expects Ev to be rapping about street life in that context, Prodigy possesses the rapper confidence that Evidence may be lacking.

With a track list of 20 songs (including bonus tracks), Cats and Dogs isn’t consistently good enough to hold your attention for that long. It could’ve condensed.

Cats and Dogs continues where The Weatherman left off. It’s an album that accomplishes a lot without doing too much. Evidence has a composed delivery, but his message is a gritty portrayal of his grind. It probably won’t blow your mind, but it’s a solid Hip-Hop album that contains that East-Coast groove with easy-to-digest lyrics.
Out of 3.25 out of  5

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