In an effort to win the battle against those naysayers who continue to claim the south doesn’t have any lyricists, Chamillionaire brings his Texas game to the masses with his major label debut “The Sound of Revenge.” With fellow Texans Slim Thug, Mike Jones, Paul Wall and Bun B hitting the shelves first, you might think this is gonna be another album full of wood grain gripping, candy paint dripping, purple drank, glassy rims, platinum grills and being trill. You would be wrong, the former SwishaHouse emcee can step outside the box while keeping that H-Town swagger.
Andre 3000 or Scarface he ain’t, but Chamillionaire does more than get the job done on the lyrical tip. Misogynistic or not, you can’t front on lines like “put some lipstick on my fist, throwing you a kiss/since I seen that you a sucka, suck a gasoline dick/put it right up to your lips, lighter to the tip.” It’s his Scarface collabo “Rain” that appropriately sees Chamil at his best, spitting an incredible verse that caps off beautifully with; “put some henny up in ya cup, your problems will start to drown/as soon as your buzz leaves, them problems come back around.” Lyrical prowess aside, Chamil has a few other things going for him. Much like 50, he has a penchant for writing great hooks that will run through your head like Ghost and Jada (see “Southern Takeover,” or “Frontin'” Not to be ignored is his flow as he rides a variety of beats with ease at each turn. Just listen to him catch wreck along side Layzie Bone on “Ridin’ Dirty” and roll over opponents on “Southern Takeover” Then of course there are the beats, and aside from a few question selections, the man can pick them. At the top of the heap is the Scott Storch heater “Turn It Up” that has surely busted a speaker or two.
Like pretty much every major LP that comes out these days, there are the obvious forced songs (like say “Grown and Sexy”). And like so many emcees, Chamillionaire would have been better served with more introspection (like say “Void In My Life”), rather than rapping about the same quote, unquote, usual shit. Plus he relies too much on his guests (for better or worse). Not surprisingly, the album isn’t quite up to par with some of his independent work, but he isn’t just making music on his own anymore. Nevertheless, a good album from one of the south’s most promising artists.
