DONT LEAVE THIS ALBUM BEHIND

Let me just say that I’m not one for giving album reviews. But when I come across music that resonates with me, I am compelled to speak on it/write about it. “Leave It All Behind” by The Foreign Exchange is nothing less than sensational (I can’t even remember the last time I used the word “sensational”). Now I know I’ve mentioned this duo before comprised of the producer Nicolay and Phonte of Little Brother. And I’ve realized that many of my friends haven’t even heard of Little Brother, let alone The Foreign Exchange. Well I’m not about to get into their history. Just know that this is their follow up album to their 2004 debut “Connected”, which was a work of art in itself. So do your own research.

I have sat with this album for a couple of days. And there is a certain melodic vibe that it has. Sonically this album is sharp. When artists are given or take the opportunity to grow and experiment and stay focused on making music first as opposed to wanting to sell records, you come up with a great project like Leave It All Behind. Now I’ve been a fan of Phonte as an MC for a minute. In my opinion he is one of the best out there right now. But he only rhymes on 2 songs on the entire album. And let me say…I’m not even mad about it. When I heard the first single “Daykeeper”, I knew they were going in a new direction. The album cover alone had me intrigued. I’ve read reviews and comments from folks mostly loving the album. There are a few that were thrown off and wanted to hear more of a Hip Hop feel like they experienced on “Connected”. But this is not at all an extension of the first album. Many of us who are familiar with the history of Phonte know that he has sang the hooks on many of the Little Brother songs as well as songs on the Connected album. But this time around he is singing on 98% of the album. And let me just say he does a good job. And I mean a good job without the help of what’s becoming the norm with that damn auto tune, vocoder or whatever the hell it’s called.. Ya’ll know what I’m talking about…it’s on almost every song on the radio. Phonte is a solid vocalist. Better than most MCs we respect that try to sing.

Bottom line is this; Leave It All Behind is a GREAT body of work. In my opinion probably it is one of the best albums of the year. And it might be the best album of the year when it’s all said and done. If you like good music…and I mean GOOD music, then go ahead and purchase it. You’ll be doing yourself a great disservice if you don’t.