Review Summary: Lucy Ford is easily one of Slug's best collections of songs released to date. One listen and you can't help but be hooked by the sincerity and passion contained here friends.
Atmosphere is almost a household name these days in 'underground' hip-hop. We've all heard at least one song, seen the name thrown around or listened to a friend who isn't truly a hip-hop aficionado rave about the amazing Atmosphere. Many of us here on Sputnik are huge fans, whether discovering the group in the
Overcast era or the newer
When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That *** Gold years, Atmosphere has something from every era to offer semi hip-hop fans and die-hard sincere cats alike.
To say that this album is nearly flawless would be an understatement. This is truly Slug's golden era. Nearly every song has something unique to offer. Slug is so full of fire in
Tears For The Sheep that you can't help but end up psyched at the infectious beat and smooth flow of his rhymes. The lyrics are intricate and any fan of intelligent hip-hop who hasn't heard this song needs to listen to it right now.
The rhymes, beats, samples and overall passion are excelling in every way.
Between The Lines starts the album off on a very chilled out note as Slug raps about women, self-introspection and clouded metaphors which take several listens to dissect.
Like Today is another extremely chill song with a solid hook, heavy beat and a great guitar sample. What makes this song so incredible, along with many other Atmosphere songs, is how easy it is to relate to the story Slug weaves for us.
Who of us men hasn't wandered down the local neighborhood in the summer enjoying the fine sight of the women walking by in short skirts and low-cut tops, checked into the record or book store to spend some cash and felt the wary eyes of the cashier watching us? This is the deciding factor for many of us Atmosphere fans that makes the music so appealing. Slug tells tales that most of us can relate to. We've all had good times with friends, smoked a blunt, drank way too much and looked up to the stars for answers as to why we are here. We may have grown up now but listening to songs like
Guns And Cigarettes and
Free or Dead bring us back to the days of our youth.
If I was Santa Claus has one of the most unique samples and beats you will ever hear in hip-hop. The beats are absolutely dope. There seems to be a song on this album for every season.
Aspiring Sociopath is downright creepy playing on lyrics from Nirvana, Don McLean and Def Leppard.
Mama Had A Baby And His Head Popped Off is different from any song on the album. The lyrics are clever in the twists on wordplay and the samples intriguing.
The Woman With the Tattooed Hands is easily one of the best songs on the record. The metaphors will take some time to decipher and I won't ruin the riddles for you in this review. The piano melds with the beats in this song creating a beast of a tune. My personal favorite song on the record is
Nothing But Sunshine. This song is extremely personal as Slug tells a story of his troubled childhood and youth. Coming from a broken home into an amazing youth, overcoming personal tragedies and living to be the success story he is today.
From listening to
Lucy Ford we can tell this is one of the best Atmosphere albums for one main reason: Slug poured all his realism and sincerity into this collection of songs. The stories meld with the metaphors into a realistic, relatable and passionate collection of songs. Do yourself a favor and if you haven't checked
Lucy Ford out, do it right now. You won't be disappointed.
