With him putting out a wide spectrum of music throughout the years; it is fair to have some type of curiosity on what type of sound that we are going to hear when he drops a new album. It is also gives him an excuse as to why it took so long to dropped a new solo album. The last time he put out a solo project was in 2011, when he released Charity Starts At Home. Fortunately for the Little Brother/rap fans, his new album No News is Good News is pure Hip Hop. And although it took seven years to come out, along with a couple pump fakes on the release date (it was originally was supposed to come out in 2016) No News is Good News is worth the wait.
The album has ten tracks and has features from Freddie Gibbs and Eric Roberson. The project stays consistent sonically, it terms of nice smooth beats that allows Phonte to highlight his lyrics. It might just be me, but Phonte sounds a little like Black Thought on some songs. His wordplay and delivery on tracks like To The Rescue and Pastor Tigallo put me in the Roots mind frame. I’m not saying that is a bad thing, in fact that observation is complimentary. I’m not sure if Phonte has been influenced by Black Thought over the years, but on the other hand, Drake has stated that Phonte is one of his inspirations. And I can hear Drake being inspired by a song like Euphorium/Back to Light. On that song, Phonte has a uptempo flow and he is singing on the hook.
In general this a dope Hip Hop album, but if you like putting labels on things; you might want to classified it as adult contemporary rap. The beats are subtle and easy for listening. The lyrics are sensible and the content revolves around adult themes. Songs like Cry No More talks about Phonte’s lack of relationship with his dad and how that affects his relationship with his children. One of the best tracks on the album is Sweet You. That song talks about marriage and finding that perfect love in your mate. The beat is dope on the track, so much so that it didn’t matter if Phonte rapped or sang on the song. In fact he made mention of his indecision about his delivery in the first couple bars: “Mic check is this thing on. I didn’t know if I would rap or sing on.” he spits.
The only song that Phonte actually did “sing on” was Change of Mind. Even though he is not rapping, he suffice Hip Hop heads with a slick feature from Freddie Gibbs on the song. Overall this was one of the better albums I have heard this year. Phonte stay true to his Hip Hop roots and didn’t try to follow any trends. The beats were not spectacular, but they were suitable and not overwhelming. The lyrics were sharp and clever and the songs flowed nicely. On my grade chalkboard, I give No News is Good News a A on my list. That doesn’t mean it is a classic, but it is an excellent effort. There is a link on the next page to the album, but unfortunately I had to put the songs up individually.