Right off the bat, I'll say that I'm 99% sure I will not hear a better instrumental album in 2010. If you are not familiar with the work of Oddisee, let me introduce him quickly. This guy debuted on a track with DJ Jazzy Jeff and since then he's proven himself to be one of the most multi talented artists in indie Hip Hop. Not only can he produce, but he is also a beast on the microphone. And although he does not showcase his rhymes on this project, (check out that last Diamond District album if you're looking for that), the production on Travelling Man is out of this world and the concept behind it is genius.
While Oddisee was touring, he made a beat for every city that he was in and attempted to capture the vibe he was experience from each location. In my opinion, he did a fantastic job. New York City is embodied by the bustle and constant motion of it's people, while Paris sounds like the city of love with its breezy feel and female vocals. Tokyo seems exotic and Miami transports you right onto South Beach, making you feel like you've accomplished all your dreams. You can feel the Dr Dre-like funk from South Central and Stockholm gives you the chills. The claps and synths on Atlanta put you right with TI in the dirty south. However, despite all I've just described, the tracks made for Brixton and Boston are the one's I keep playing over and over. Of course I have a soft spot for Boston, but I'd die for a worthy emcee to jump on this Brixton beat and kill it cause it's begging for it. This leads me to my next point about this album. Almost every beat is made in a way that would not make it too difficult for someone to rap over it. Hopefully Oddisee has that in store for us eventually.
Once you listen to all 24 tracks, you feel like you've just traveled all over the world within 45 minutes. The concept behind the beats is creativity at it's finest, and at the same time Oddisee is able to maintain a certain cohesiveness that allow the songs to flow nicely. This man is something special and look for him to grow more and more as an artist, Oddisee is a talented artist and he shows it once again with this release. In terms of the rating system, keep in mind that 4.5's are very rare, especially for instrumental projects. Check out the Brixton beat below as well as the download link for the album. Peace.
Overall: 4.5/5
Download Oddisee- Traveling Man
Amazing album
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