MUSIC REVIEW - N.A.S.A

N.A.S.A. – The Spirit of Apollo

This is such a cool concept for an album: Two DJ’s met in Brazil and connected over their mutual love of Brazilian Funk, then came back to the U.S. and proceeded to get as many people as they could to agree to make an album aimed at breaking down barriers between musical genres, races, and people as a whole. Over 35 artists are featured on this 17 track album, creating some interesting combos in each song: David Byrne and Chuck D., Karen O. (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and Ol’Dirty Bastard, Tom Waits and Kool Keith, The Cool Kids and Ghostface Killah, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien and DJ Qbert.

And as cool as all this sounded conceptually, the music is orders of magnitude better. It’s hip-hop, to be sure, but by drawing in such a diverse group of back up musicians there is significant variety and subtlety imbued even upon individual tracks. All the music is funky as all hell, and, as an intravenous solution, is a guaranteed cure for chronic white-boy-dancing syndrome. While the extreme contrast of many of the featured musicians had the potential to cripple this project, it is turned 100% into its strength.

There are some low points, to be sure (“Hip-Hop”, for example, falls too far into generic bad rap habits), but the high points more than make up for it. Try Track 13, “Whachadoin?”, featuring Spank Rock & M.I.A, and “Money” with David Byrne and Chuck D.

Will I play it on my show? Yes, no doubt. RIYL – The X-Ecutioners, Beck in his hip-hop stages, any of the contributing artists.


http://www.myspace.com/nasa