Review Summary: The Dirty Heads start all over... to tremendous results.
I actually don't know how popular the Dirty Heads are in most places, but here in the Keys, where I live, they're pretty damn big. From their heavy Reggae style, tight rap flow, and lyrics about drugs and the high tropics life; it comes as no surprise they would be huge down here. This might be surprising, but originally the Dirty Heads were a heavy Rap Rock group during the days of
Any Port in a Storm. Eventually they would slowly abandon their Rap Rock roots for Reggae and RnB and by
Sound of Change they almost ditched it completely except for a guest song by Tech N9ne and
My Sweet Summer. With the release of this self-titled effort, it seems that Dirty Heads have hit the reset button. I say so because unlike previous albums, this album delves straight into Alternative Hip-Hop, Old School Hip-Hop, and general Rap Rock. I am a little surprised the Dirty Heads never really jumped onto the Hip-Hop train during their time. With this record, they have, and it is as good as it should be.
Many Dirty Heads fans will attest to the fact that Dirty Heads have been slowly declining in quality since their debut. It wasn't easy to watch, or hear for that matter. Nevertheless,
Dirty Heads sounds as if the group is rejuvenated. To be fair, it contains a series of good Reggae songs like
Under The Water, which gives off a nice island string beginning as a beat helps carry the vocals into a soft melody. The ease with which this song soothes the soul is a testament to how much the Dirty Heads have improved since
Sound of Change. Another great Reggae tune is
The Truth, which has a nice digital DJ mixing style with soft vocals. The crux of this album, however, is Hip-Hop.
A nice example of the style achieved in this album is
Red Lights, which combines a good Hip-Hop flow with a soul style as trumpet blare during ballad interludes.
Doesn't Make You Right hearkens back to the golden age of Hip-Hop, with simplistic rhymes and a basic flow. This is done well, and it doesn't feel tacky given the primitive nature of the golden age style of Hip-Hop. By far one of the standout tracks is in the single
That's All I Need, which features standout flow from Dirty J and Duddy B, and probably some of their best rapping since
Dance All Night. It also contains a heavy amount of over-dubbing, trumpets, tropic drums, and small chorals. When it comes to extravagance,
That's All I Need goes completely off the rails and it is so good.
When I first moved to Key West, I was completely out of my element. I could barely wrap my head around this damn island and I felt disconnected from everybody around me. During this time, listening to the Dirty Heads on the radio, at the recommendation of my roommate, helped me greatly during this hard period. I began to feel that sense of freedom, patience, and love that had been missing from my life for a long time. Of course I felt disconnected; in a place where love is boundless and almost everyone is nice to each other, a person who hasn't had too much love or understanding in his life will feel out of the loop.
The Dirty Heads are not perfect. They don't innovate, they're not the paragons of quality, and they have made numerous mistakes. Despite that, the Dirty Heads will remain timeless. For those times when you imagine the beating sun reflected over those blue waters, smiles on every face, and peace, these guys can help bring that imagery to life. With this self-titled album, the Dirty Heads have achieved some of their best work; a combination of love, progression, and creativity. It seems like the horizon is still bright for these beach nuts. Hell, even if the sun went down, I don't think that would stop these boys from partying. Nor do I think they should stop.
