Music

MUSIC

You can't judge a book by its cover, they say, but that's exactly what made me rip the cellophane off rapper Guru's new CD. Like the mid'50s Jazz label Blue Note, it has a cool cover: bold lettering across the top letting you know who is on the album; the artist gripping an old fashioned microphone; smoke lingering in the air. But this recording has a warning: "An experimental fusion of Hip-hop and Jazz." Not being a big rap fan, I was surprised when I reached for this disc a second time. It's like hip-hop meets be-bop = hip-bop!

Another cool thing about this record Is Guru's respect for the great jazz musicians who perform on this disc. Guru worked with Branford Marsalis on Spike Lee's soundtrack for "Mo' Better Blues." Here Marsalis plays a beautiful background horn on the cut "Transit Ride." Vocalist N'Dea Davenport is featured with Guru rappin' on "When You're Near Me." Guitarist Ronnie Jordan plays on the upbeat, positive message tune, "No Time to Play" - about trying to support a family. (Guru will appear on the new Ronnie Jordan album due out in August.) Courtney Pine plays sax and Carleen Anderson handles back-up vocals beautifully on the telling-it-like-it-is tune "Sights In The City." M.C. Solaar raps in French on "Le Bien, Le Mal." Each featured artist gets co-production credit for the songs they play.

I guess what I like the most about this record besides the cool cover and the jazzy rappin' is what it's missing. It isn't strewn with profanities, and women are not referred to in derogatory ways.

~Tom Rule