LIGHTHEADED

'Wrong Way'

For me, made obvious by the numerous shout-outs in previous posts, 2005 was all about Portland, Oregon DJ/MC/Producer OhMega Watts. His solo joint ('The Find') received regular rotation and his work w/ other West Coast indie hip-hop artists (Giant Panda, Time Machine, People Under the Stairs, Etc.), rekindled my love affair w/ the genre in a big way. So, I was stoked to see that TRES Records would be releasing a new album from OhMega's crew: Light Headed.

Light Headed is comprised of MC's OhMega, Othello and Braille w/ a revolving cast of DJ's. I got my first listen to the entire group via the killer tracks 'That Sound' and 'Long Ago' (OhMegha and Othello) on 'The Find'. The trademark OhMega production/composition runs rampant over all but three or four of the tracks, a sound that bobs a head to the Old School/Golden Era where the soul and funk is so thick you could sop it up w/ a biscuit. Additional DJ/production work is provided by DJ Bombay, Rob Swift and Muneshine and holds up as well. Seriously, one listen to the floor-rockers 'Timeless' and 'Soul Power' and you'll see what I mean.

Even more of a pleasant surprise...the lyricism and mic skills on display, especially from Othello and Braille. They flow like liquid and come confident w/out the tired braggadocio most would associate w/ hip hop today. Actually, there may be a little bragging going on, but it's not about their cars or bankrolls...it's about both their skills and faith. Yeah...THAT kind of faith, but they never come off preachy and use it as fuel for positivity. In fact, you may not even realize you're being taken to (Sunday) school until a few listens...but, again, it never polarizes and excludes those who aren't of the same beliefs. Regardless, mad skills all the way around.

Tres Record's less-than-major-label distribtuion may mean you need to order online or head to either your local indie store or Tower Records. You could also wait until it hits iTunes (they do have some albums up in there), but no clue when that'll be. No clips to be found, but you can check the promo vid featuring 'Soul Power' below: