Swervedriver - Ejector Seat Reservation: Remastered & Expanded
1995 attempt by Creation's forgotten band to broaden their appeal gets the repackage treatment
Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping
Confusion reigns with American indie-popsters new record...but is it any good?
Percee P - Perseverance
Jul 9, 2008
Percee P is not a man in a hurry. Having been in the game for nigh on thirty years, he's just about got round to releasing his debut album. After years of being considered one of the best underground MCs around following star turns on Edan, Jedi Mind Tricks and Kool Keith tracks among many others, he has finally relented and put out a full set.
With a previous dearth in solo productivity that marks Percee P as little short of the anti-Doom, it was a canny move bringing in the knob twiddling talents of Madlib, a producer who not only has a production style that, even before hearing Perseverance, simply fits Percee's vocals, but also has a work ethic to rival the Metal Faced one.
Ironically for a man as slow to further his career as Percee P, his style is unquestionably one of fast, controlled urgency. The joy is not in what Percee P says - lyrically speaking, Perseverance treads the familiar paths of nostalgia and playful braggadicio with the odd smattering of violence - but in the cocksure way that he expresses himself.
Madlib understands this perfectly, and always gives the vocals room to breathe. 'Legendary Lyricist', the only track where Madlib himself provides any squeaky voiced vocals, is an impossibly funky guitar and break romp which will have heads everywhere nodding involuntarily, yet still allows Percee's verses to be the star attraction. It seems fitting, given his past, that guest appearances abound. 'Watch Your Step', all swaggering funk guitar and string swoops, is an eloquently menacing rant with a verse from Jedi Mind Tricks' Vinnie Paz, while 2 Brothers From The Gutter, built on a characteristically idiosyncratic Madlib loop that recalls none other than Commodore 64 music legend Rob Hubbard (just me? Know your bloody history kids) features a memorable verse from Diamond D.
Other than the sheer time it has taken for Percee's debut to drop, the one nagging doubt was whether his vocals were better suited to collaborations, and whether his flow could maintain interest over a whole album. These doubts are dispelled comprehensively, as Percee P, despite the superb production and guest vocals, dominates this funky gem of an LP. I can't fucking wait till the sophomore set in 2024.
