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$13.99 CD
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DJ SHADOW
The Outsider
(Universal)
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"This Time" |
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"Enuff" |
Ten years ago, Josh Davis dropped his groundbreaking debut, Endtroducing,
and that record became one of the most influential records of
the '90s, as well an early top seller at Other Music, maybe OUR
biggest record of the era as well. Davis was a pioneer of "turntablism"
as entertainment in its own right, but besides being a record-collecting
fiend with an understated mastery of the 1's and 2's, he was a
visionary producer, pioneering the Mo'Wax sound, with dark, haunting
instrumental hip-hop grooves less interested in punchy James Brown
funk samples than lush string arrangements and haunting keyboard
grooves. But what next? The intervening years have found DJ Shadow
faltering a bit, as he tried to keep the crown perched on his
low-slung stocking cap. He has continued to release excellent
productions, but as time passed the whole genre has struggled
to find an identity to grow into. Even the best tracks often end
up sounding like instrumental b-sides of a great vocal track,
like songs without a singer, and Davis' most enduring releases
have perhaps been the questionably legal CDs of 7" funk mixes
that he released on the DL to promote DJ tours.
With The Outsider, Davis has attempted to answer the question
of what a great producer does as a "solo artist," and
the results are some of his best grooves and most accomplished
songs, as well as a schizophrenic hodge-podge of collaborations.
The first proper song (following, of course, a skit, proving that
indeed Davis is a hip-hop producer) is a great Roy Ayers-style
soul number with a lead vocal supposedly found on a 40-year-old
abandoned reel somewhere; but Davis has given new life to the
sweet melody, with live players and soulful production. What follows,
except for a stray track or two of brooding hard rock, is essentially
a Bay Area hip-hop album, full of dark, propulsive, distorted
rhythms, pounding hooks, and laundry-list of rappers, including
David Banner, Q-Tip, Lateef, Keak Da Sneak, Turf Talk, Phonte
Coleman, and many more. The results are always solid, with great
sounds and energetic grooves. Overall, it's hard to poke holes
in Davis' solid construction, although it might be a bit easier
to find fault with some of his rappers lyrics…but criticism
like that might discredit 75% of all working rappers. If there
is a real problem here, it's that The Outsider never exactly
comes off as an "album"; maybe not a fatal blow in the
age of the iPod, but for a producer of such talent, it's hard
not to wish for a batch of songs and a level of songwriting, be
it instrumental or lyrical, that would match his talent.
Maybe Josh Davis IS the outsider that the album references, but
perhaps not as he intends with the title; like a singer without
a song, Davis is a top-notch producer without a worthwhile production.
He has made a fine record with plenty of great sounds for the
heads, but he has been doing that for more than 10 years. He has
the talent and the connections to take it to another level, and
while The Outsider has plenty of great tracks, in the end
it perhaps falls short of being a great album with the lasting
power that Davis' talents merit. Well worth a listen, and perhaps
the album will serve as a calling card for Davis, as it amply
demonstrates his range and talent, and beckons any great songwriter
without a producer to make a call. [JM]
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