Ali's debut album
Word on the street is, of everybody in the St. Lunatics crew, no one expected Nelly would be the one to blow up. The odds-on favourite flavour was supposed to be Ali. But Nelly is a household fixture across America like American Standard toilets and his debut album Country Grammar was a St. Lunatics royal flush. Ali is hoping to step through the gateway to the west opened by his fellow Lunatic. However, Nelly’s “who me?” attitude toward success is either extreme humility, a marketing ploy, or both. The reason Nelly blew the chains off the record contracts is a) he’s got a certain sex appeal for girls from 12-25, b) he has an unmistakable style, c) his music is bubbly, catchy and hook laden, d) his subject matter is light and accessible to a wide audience, e) he is a former prospect in America’s favourite pastime. Ali delivers a similar musical style, with a tiny bit of sing songy swing a la Nelly, but lacks the charisma and instantly identifiable flow of his St. Louis partner.
Ali’s problem is without a political agenda, or a filthy grimy look into the underbelly of ghetto society, his only selling point is bounce appeal. But his hooks don’t bite, his beats don’t bounce; his flow is flat and slow, with very little to set him apart from the throngs of generic emcees on the market right now. Of all the emcees that appear on this joint (Murphy, Kyjuan, Nelly), Ali has the least interesting flow. Heavy Starch, as the title suggests, comes off stiff. The majority of the tracks here (produced by Jay E) lack real basslines, containing only low rumbling bass hits. “I Got This” has a tight sitar loop that’s bludgeoned by those shapeless bass hits. Hitched to Ali’s low voice the tracks lack the high-end pop needed to really swing a crossover audience. The live guitars that spring up throughout are welcome as the majority of the album sounds like it was done on the same keyboard/drum machine combo.
For some of the classic (is it too early to call it that?) Midwest slur check “Wiggle Wiggle” with its Loose Ends style percussion and the signature Midwest mix of G-funk and Miami synths. It won’t surprise anybody that the highlight of the album contains a verse and chorus from Nelly. With better structure, “Collection Plate” could be a funny song. “Boughetto” is an interesting song about what it is to be both bourgie (bourgeois) and ghetto, which identifies a new class of people created largely by rich rappers pushing Escalades through the ‘hood. “360” is a hint at skills Ali may be withholding from us, with a Killa Priest style spin on spirituality.
This album has its moments but lacks that special sauce. It’s like when you hear a good joke but the person telling it gives it to you all out of order and messes up the punch line. Most tracks here sound like demos that are waiting for their finishing touches. If you’re looking for more of that good old Midwest cooking, wait for “Nellyville” in June. If this album does fall into your hands, at least you can check previews of Nelly’s latest on the bonus CD-Rom.
OVERALL RATING: 2/5
REVIEWED BY: kangol
ADDED: 2002-05-15
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