Rating: 8.5 February 24th Lex Records Find It: Official Store
Call it what you want: Sour Soul is a chic party album. On their collab project, Ghostface Killah is up to his old “slang therapist” ways and BadBadNotGood’s Matt Tavares, Alex Sowinski, and Chester Hansen outdo themselves, conditioning instrumentals that dare to link Bill Evans to Big L and leave you with a contact high. It’s harmless, but there’s no telling as to when you’ll stop tweaking; the hazy finishes (“Gunshowers”), John Barry fusion (“Food”), and hallucinogenic sessions (“Tone’s Rap”) are strains of jazz crack, and Ghost – well, he’s the dealer. His bravado stays animated and if he’s not pimping out punchlines (“Sour Soul”) or attacking the rim for a two-minute stretch (“Mind Playing Tricks”), he’s elevating verses from Tree and Danny Brown who enter the frame like chronic-smoking opposites that trash Complex lists. Somehow, the two-year-old experiment just clicks and it’s fresh enough to make Sour Soul distinguished. As Tone notes, “Pimpin’ ain’t easy, but it sure is fun”. — [Joshua Khan]
Listen: “Food”, “Stark’s Reality”, “Mind Playing Tricks” || Watch: “Ray Gun (ft. DOOM)”