Tales From The Badlands, Compact Disc [CD]

Dropping beats for everyone from Grits to Petey Pablo to Out of Eden to the And1 Mixtape, Liquid offers his solo debut Tales from the Badlands on Gotee Records. Includes 12 tracks of head noddin, soul infused, bass heavy goodness including "One Time," "Mi Gente," "So Real," and more.

Good to the last drop

The word “liquid” is defined (in part) as “smooth and unconstrained in movement,” and this definition certainly applies to Liquid’s music. Liquid is a singer/songwriter/producer from Philadelphia, Penn., who comes off like a stylistic handyman throughout Tales from the Badlands. He simply sounds comfortable and skilled with everything he touches.

This eclectic disc opens with a jubilantly nostalgic slice of cultural life called “Back in the Day.” Over a funky, soul-rock groove, Liquid fondly recalls such memorable signposts as Run-D.M.C. music, “The Jeffersons” TV program and even 8-track tapes. Not everything here is quite so lighthearted, however. Both “Gangsta” and “Ghetto,” for instance, speak bluntly about the depressed conditions in Liquid’s “Badlands” stomping grounds. Liquid’s hometown received national attention in 1990 when Ted Koppel and “20/20” visited and explored the region’s drugs, crime and overall urban decay. Although Liquid never sugarcoats the obvious blights in his community, tracks such as “Crazy” exemplify how joy can be experienced and celebrated in even the harshest environments.

The genre-spanning variety of Tales from the Badlands is astounding at times. For instance, “One Time” combines Spanish guitar lines with a reggae beat whereas “Mi Gente” mixes together Spanish lyrics, choppy electric guitar and organ accents. With “Crazy,” Liquid sings in an enjoyably Curtis Mayfield-style falsetto over a blasting horn part straight out of Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life period.

With all its tasty ingredients, Tales from the Badlands by Liquid amounts to one refreshing musical Big Gulp.

DAN MACINTOSH – CCMMagazine.com

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