“Take my riches, take my fame, take the microphone, take the stage, take my glory take my name… take-take-take-take it away…” That Great Day, feat. Donnie McClurkin
This Week’s PillowCase Pick goes to OPEN BOOK, the latest album from Cross Movement Record’s Da TRUTH.
I was one of many who used to write dude off as another Carter clone. And honestly, there’s no denying Emanuel Lambert has a little roc in his swag; but his latest, Open Book proves once and for all that Da Truth is cut from a different cloth altogether. And if you had any doubts:
"No, this is ain't Hov--keep your platinum, keep your gold, keep your black card and your patron, no of that matters when i'm gone..."
The album’s title, Open Book comes from the belief that every Christian is called to live their lives as an open book, meaning that if you claim the talk, people will look to see if you’re walking the walk. So every song on Open Book is largely an introspective look at how people struggle to live up to what it means to be a Christian in modern times. It’s a heady concept to carry thru for 17 tracks, especially for an emcee. And it could come off as preachy in the hands of a lesser lyricist, but Truth has the flow and the chops and most definitely the beats to bring it.
“Who am I” feat. Tye Tribbett (think Kirk Franklin’s wildchyld) is just a flat-out banger. Soul claps. Big Horns… Great Chorus. It just knocks.
“Star Struck” feat. The Ambassador, another joint where the flow’s so dope that you almost forget what you’re saying until you write it out: “Big J, big E, big S, capital/Big U big S, big C-H-R-I-S-T capital/figure when you talk about a king that’s apropos.”
Another standout track, Rose feat. Lisa McClendon, uses the metaphor of falling rose petals to chronicle a series painful relationships and bad decisions in a woman’s life. The track’s flamenco guitar underneath and Sting-like vocals carry the song nicely.
Sonically, Open Book a great job of mixing different influences including samba (That Great Day), rock (the title track), emo (Fig Tree), southern grime (Why I Do, Price Tag).
Overall, Open Book’s an exceptional strong conceptual album, with serious lyrical craftsmanship and a good message... You know, the kind of stuff we're always claiming we need more of but can't find anywhere.
Well, now here's your chance to pick up one. Give it a listen; I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. I'm even attaching a couple Youtube clips so you can see for yourself. (And hey, if you snooze on this one, you've got no one to blame but yourself.)
OPEN BOOK by Da TRUTH
Cross Movement Records 2007
www.crossmovementrecords.com
here's a live version of "My Reward" from the CrossMovement Tour last month in Fl.
