D. Roof
(Board of Edu-tainment)
D. Roof is one busy dude. Age of the Hipster is his second
album this year, and it’s a change of pace for the righteous rapper. It
kicks off with a heady spoken-word track before delivering an
atmospheric onslaught of beats as Roof warns, “One day you loved like
LeBron to the basket/Next day you buried like Biggie in a casket.” Roof
quotes guys like KRS-One, but the beats are more original. So is his
“age of the hipster” concept. “The Freshness” samples what sounds like
a flute while Roof does his best Michael Franti imitation, championing
a “fresh approach” to life. “Piece or Peace” has a good conscious party
vibe to it. But the ballad “What We Need (Love)” falls a bit flat,
fortunately the exception to the rule here. — Jeff
Niesel
D. Roof performs with Mike Nice and Big Bang Theory at 9:30 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 28, at the Grog Shop (2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland
Hts., 216.321.5588, grogshop.gs).
Tickets: $10 advance, $12 day of show.
Everything Zen
(self-released)
The guys in this Mentor band are all under 20, but they sound like
seasoned professionals on their self-titled debut. Recorded locally at
Jungle Studios by Brian Patrick, the album has a pop/rock/hip-hop sound
that will make you want to get up and dance — especially the
punchy, 311-like “Party With the Lights On!,” one of the album’s best
tunes. The band slows things down on the ballad “See You Again” and the
groovy Jack Johnson-inspired “Matter of Time” — tracks that
showcase Zen’s serious side and further proof that they sound like
they’ve been doing this way longer than they actually have. —
Julia Kazar
This article appears in Aug 26 – Sep 1, 2009.
