“Pick Your Poison” starts off with a rustic eerie sounding guitar loop and an ill haunting female voice that grabs a hold of your mental and refuses to release its grip. Along with Arsenic and Span Phly’s lyrical barrage is a really stealthy bass line that completes this intro track aptly named “Take the Ticket”. Therefore we get more lyrical flexing on the next offering, ”Comfortable Straight Jacket”, which definitely stimulates a head-nod reaction with sparkling sounds and confident razor sharp lyrics. The combo of Arsenic and Span Phly is amazing. They are both different in sound but the same in delivery, as each emcee spits with ferocity and conviction. The production mainly handled by Arsenic, compliments both artists delivering darkly tinged head nodders as well as chilled boom-bap sounds that lovingly rolls at a measured pace. I also have to give props to DJ Elixir who provides on point scratches throughout only adding to this timeless release.
The lyrics are spit with the demanded anxiety about various issues like the tight “Do The Devil’s Dance” and “Fuck You For Listening” with both emcees validating their own status. Moving on to the Arkatek produced track “Creatures Of The Night” we get something very good. The beat is hard and rather slow, and the rhymes are fast. One thing that can kill an artist’s album is choosing beats that really don’t flow with the artist’s style; this is not the case on “Pick Your Poison”. There are a few more tracks on this album which feature the same type of vibe as the aforementioned track, and they do not disappoint. Among the other gems are “De Sade- Charenton” with sliced drums and somber horns. With every track you get a mass of soul, creativity, innovation, originality. Only a small amount of emcees and producers possess these traits.
On PYP each song welcomed the next, connecting to each other through links of often subtle melodies. Lyrically Arsenic & Span rests well inside of each track providing a quality blend of lyrics for the versatile production. There is not a dull moment on this entire album, and as a listener I could not help but sit in awe of the wide range of skills demonstrated by the group’s two impressive performers. This presentation was more than just beats and rhymes, it was a score. Every track on this album is hot, both lyrically and in regards to production, so it’s hard to pick out any favorites without naming the entire track list. Yet my favorite tracks on the album as always are the ones that personify the artist’s emotions straight from the heart. Whether you like lyrics or beats, this album has something for you. The production on “Pick Your Poison” ranges from dark and grimy to soulful and alternative, but maintains an overall head-nodding feel. I can’t tell you how many times I rewound the CD just to hear one or two lines at a time, almost in disbelief that someone could go so alternative yet remain so on point at the same time. So, support Citizen Sade by hitting them up @ http://www.myspace.com/desadehiphop or http://www.espionagerecords.com/ . Thanks CyPhEr777
Citizen Sade "I stand alone"
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