4 stars
Like a Singapore Sling in a smoky Las Vegas lounge, Jurassic 5's Power in Numbers, goes down easy.
Seeing their names in the liner notes is like looking at a roster of superheroes on a crime-fighting team in a comic book. Emcees Chali 2na, Zaakir (Soup), Akil and Marc 7 and DJs Cut Chemist and Nu-Mark are recognizably vintage hip-hop all-stars.
And that's what Power in Numbers, the successful response to the follow-up challenge presented by their first album, Quality Control, feels like - vintage hip-hop.
But let's not get confused. Numbers is by no means a stagnant album. Instead, J5 has effectively created a balance between innovative production and an almost-live feel.
There's no danger of over-production so slick and sugary it could give a fan a cavity.
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Strong, thick vocals, potent funk beats and samples used to provide sturdy backdrops all interplay to create warmth on Power in Numbers.
The emcees never blanch at an opportunity to exploit their medium for political purposes. Often, they flow on messages of history and community.
Grounded in the strength of their convictions, J5 rarely comes off as preachy.
"Freedom," the first full track on the album, generates powerful commentary.
"My forefathers hung in trees to be free/ got rid of slavery but still kept the penitentiary/ and now freedom got a shotgun and shells with your name/ release the hot ones and let freedom ring."
Though general, the genuine feeling behind these words comes to listener like clean air.
"Freedom," uses a sample from "This Feeling" written and performed by Julius Brockington, to complement the lyrics well.
The interaction between sample and emcee is a consistent strength of Numbers.
Though progressive, Jurassic 5 has not forgotten the primary functions of hip-hop and continue to communicate with its audience in a conversational way.
Unlike a lot of underground artists, they still fully utilize chant-like hooks. Songs like "If You Only Knew" and "High Fidelity" rely strongly on repetition and seem like crowd pleasers in a live setting.
Nelly Furtado makes an appearance on "Thin Line" to a surprisingly good result.
Maybe this is because Furtado's voice works with a grainy aesthetic similar to J5's overall feel.
Both are not overdone and function plainly, with emphasis on melody instead of ornament. Furtado works well within the simplicity and craft that is J5.
"Hey" is a relaxed track that takes the edge off of some of the heavier content on the album.
It almost sounds as though it was constructed with the intent of having people make out to it. That's just a suggestion.
Power in Numbers goes out sonically as a powerful reminder of what skilled DJs and emcees sound like, resonating over what sometimes seems like a barren landscape of mainstream hip-hop.
