The loosely-defined collective Soul Assassins has chosen to release their first album in eight years – something that any fan familiar with the crew’s track record should be excited about. However, even with DJ Muggs [click to read] manning the boards, this brand of compilation is almost always better on paper than they are in execution. While this does seem to be the case with Intermission, the work seems to be the best in the series, despite lacking names seen in the past like Dr. Dre, Wyclef Jean and GZA.
The odd pairing of Bun B and M1 (of Dead Prez) sets it off with the über-gritty “Gangsta Shit,” setting (what one would hope to be) a precedent for hard-hitting lyricism. “Classical,” featuring Sick Jacken and Evidence [click to read] doesn’t quite live up to its name, as its awkward, airy beat doesn’t provide much for the emcees to go in on. Fortunately, the same can’t be said of La Coka Nostra‘s [click to read] “Do It,” which features a brutal horn section. Sick Jacken reappears alongside Necro [click to read] (forming PCP) for “Rep Yo Shit,” which is a bit contrived with its frenetic piano loop and shrill violins, but keeps the adrenaline pumping.
Self Scientific comes through with a gem with “Good Evening L.A.,” as Chace Infinite spits visceral lines over DJ Khalil‘s guitar-laced beat: “It feels like war/ If niggas put my back against the wall/ I’m coming with guns, bombs and all/ Grenades, shells hittin’ the floor/ The raw spelled backwards is war/ We livin’ in trying times, the president has horns/Real talk, real walk, real soul/ Without the idiot box we livin’ the real war/ Where violence is the king, weapons are the justice/ Nobody gives a damn, they like ‘fuck it!’/ The nation is erupting/ You just can’t lie to the public/ And treat the country like a hobby…”
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More songs included are “Meet Your Maker” with Reef the Lost Cause [click to read] and Outer Space, a somewhat sloppy, unfocused effort, and the title track which varies in quality, as B-Real [click to read] and Planet Asia readily outshine RZA [click to read] and Rev William Burk. Planet Asia appears again to provide a menacing flow for the plodding “Like That Y’all,” and “Matchbox” is jazzy reprieve from an otherwise aggressive album. Finally, Young De, Xzibit and Mykestro send out the project proper with the quirky “Figure It Out.”
Intermission suffers from the same problem that plague the majority of “producer albums,” – namely, lack of cohesion. But the bigger issues here are simply puzzling. For example, the production values are all over the place. Some songs, like “Call It Like I See It” don’t even sound mastered, while “World We’re In” comes in crisp and clear. Also, the majority of the tracks are either in one extreme or another – very boring or instant favorites.
The levels of quality on the musical and rapping fronts vary an astonishing amount, considering DJ Muggs‘ pedigree. It’s unfortunate an artist of his caliber has released such an jagged effort, with quality control questions on just about every front. Where there are enough shining moments sprinkled throughout to keep you interested, you’re likely to find yourself wondering why more care wasn’t taken to reduce the disparity between Intermission‘s best and worst.
