With Voices

Carlos Niño and Fabian Ammon are dabblers in various west coast musical scenes. They play a part in the jazz, underground hip-hop, and soul/rare groove communities. Granted, they aren't the only people overlapping genres, but to approach this record you have to see them sitting at something of an intersection between the various musical paths they travel. With Voices is a production album. They go it alone for two tracks (including the incredible "Elevation"), but the focus of the project is working with vocalists. At this point, the fate of most producers is determined by their ear. Just as some gifted vocalists have no ear for music (think Ras Kass), some producers who make wonderful music are not up to the task of choosing vocalists to enhance it. With the exception of Sach, Niño and Ammon make excellent choices. From the jazz community, they tap Yusef Lateef, Kamau Daaood, and Dwight Trible. Trible you might expect as Niño has played such a large role in his recent work. Daaood takes a stellar poetic turn over a huge bass line that makes everything else irrelevant on "A Zillion Tambourines." Lateef and Trible join Prince Po in making "Beautiful Flowers" one of the best songs on the album. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Prince Po has never sounded this good on a record that didn't feature Pharoahe Monch. The bare-bones track built around a simple and compelling rhythm section showcases him perfectly. The Ammoncontact treatment also sounds good on Lil Sci. I don't have any complaints about his other material, but he sounds rejuvenated on "Like This." He also graces the title track. With Voices, the song version, is a carnival sounding track with incredible swing and the bass line from the only song you remember by Chubb Rock thrown in during the change. Speaking of nostalgia touches, check "Worth It" for Ammoncontact and Abstract Rude's tribute to Arrested Development. The pinnacle of the hip-hop side of With Voices is "Drum Riders." I don't remember Brother J ever sounding this good. Of course, it could be the production. Niño and Ammon approach hip-hop production with a perfect simplicity. There's never too much of anything. Vibes echo a simple bass here and the combination sets things off. Moving away from the hip-hop feel of the record, "Earth's Children" forced me to re-recognize the talent of Mia Doi Todd. I use to check her records when I was in college, but then I lost track somewhere along the line. The vaguely atmospheric feel that Ammoncontact indulge in at various points of the album is perfectly matched to what Mia does naturally. I would love to hear this collaboration expanded to album length. Then again, I can say that for most of the collaborations on With Voices. For a production project, that might be the highest possible praise.

Ammoncontact's WITH VOICES kicks off with the swirling psychedelia of "Children of the Sun," but quickly gets down to business... the hip-hop business that is. The conscious vibe is there, keeping the lyrics from getting bogged down in too much boasting or toasting. Indeed, the short running time of most of the tracks offers the listener a constant earful. "Like This" moves from one mood to another, as if constancy were something of the past. The "Elevation" manages to maintain a singular mood throughout, and it's all the more lovely for it. The hippie dirge of "Earth's Children" has an ethereal beauty, as well. But if that's not your speed, go for the straight-up funk of "Worth It." Another eclectic offering from the Ammoncontact boys.

Chancing this on the reputation of the Ninja Tune label, I had no clue this would be a vocal Hip Hop release since it wasn't on the Big Dada sister imprint. This long player has held my attention since I first put in my box. It's been some time since I've heard anything so refreshing and consistently engaging in Hip Hop. While the vibe is very reminicent of the Native Tongues output (or anti-bling) the similarites end there as abstract beats, squelching bass lines and even bossa nova all seem to co-exist on this tiny island of a CD. I was even more surprised when I discovered the duo of Carlos Nino and Fabian Ammon reside in Los Angeles. The LP isn't so much Afrocentric as it is Humanstic and Existential. And while they come at you with great beats it's the roster of L.A. Underground Hip Hop talent that's just as impressive. From Lil' Sci on the title cut, X-Clan member Brother J on "Drum Riders", the majestic poetry of Kamau Daaood (who respectfully declined membership from the Last Poets back in the day to start projects in Los Angeles) is pure excellence!! And that's just the beginning the album seems to get better as it progresses. The triple threat of Yusef Lateef, Dwight Trible and Prince Po on "Beautiful Flowers" is affecting while Abstract Rude's performance on the funkified "Worth It" boasts a swagger that implies cool. Imiuswi's "Love Needs No Destination To Have Made It" rounds out the final blow of vocal tracks. There's great instrumentals sandwiched between these vocal performances while the 16 tracks clock in at barely 46 minutes you may find yourself questioning where all the time went. Just hit the repeat button!!