Search - Braille :: Iv

Score Another Win for Braille!

Trey Palmisano | Baltimore, MD | 04/16/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Just in time for tax day, hip hop artist and underground sensation Braille is back with an all-new album that doesn't take a lot of getting used to. It hits the ground running from the first track and never looks back.



The fourth album, aptly titled "The IV Edition" is a testament to both Braille's maturity as an artist and his strongly held Christian faith. The "IV," as Braille explains, stands for the fourth album from its Roman numeral representation. But it is also a pun for the abbreviation "IV" as in the "intravenous" device. Braille explains the use of this imagery in that just as an IV infuses medicine into a patient, so as a society, the cure for many of the societal ills we face is through an infusion of Jesus Christ.



Those familar with Braille know he isn't preachy. His lyrics are filled with the tramas of life, heartache, humility, real human imperfection, and a deep introspective delivery that cries out for greater purpose. He never pretends to be anything he isn't. Because of this unpretentiousness (you won't find any "I'm the best rapper" rigmarole), he consistently appeals to a wide variety of listeners. His credibility comes in knowing his place, in communicating a spirit of thankfulness, a heart that's open to the fans, and a life lived consistent with the lyrics he spits. But Braille is no pushover either. He's deadly on the mic. Seeing him in concert doing freestyles, one is in awe of how masterfully he strings together words and concepts.



Over the years, the Oregon resident has been steady building momentum and broadening his audience with a high-energy flow that remains infectious to his faithful following. The IV Edition pulls together seventeen joints each with an individual sound manufactured by an all-star cast of fellow scribes and musical innovators. This seems to be the overarching theme of the project, since Braille did collaborations with different producers on almost every track. Those who are familar with the hip hop underground will be satisfied to see names they can easily identify on the back cover.



As always, Braille demonstrates a talent for finding solid, mesmerizing beats to accompany his penetrating, thought-provoking lyrics. And The IV Edition is no different. Braille shows his range on this album by enlisting Rob Swift and Marco Polo on the title track to bringing back old friends like Speech from Arrested Development and Theory Hazit. Notable tracks are the beat-heavy track "Remember Your Path," "Calculated Risk" (featuring Mr. J Medeiros and ManChild from Mars Ill - perhaps two of the greatest lyricists in the underground), and the eupeptic ballad to his wife "Blessed Man."



But no album is without its problems. And it would be unfair not to mention them here. Some tracks don't quite reach the level of brillance we've come to expect from Braille (such as the track "Raise the Dead" and the quirky West Coast sound of "Submission Hold" which seems anachronistically out of time and place).



But in an economy where people are watching every penny they spend, buying the "right" album is as much an act of faith these days as hoping you have enough money to pay for the escalating cost of gas. With the exception of perhaps two tracks, each song on The IV Edition is worthy of your CD player's circuitry.



So open your wallet wide for this one, you'll be bumping it well into 2009.

"

BRAILLE UNDERATED BUT APRECIATED

D. Dorsey | BALTIMORE,MD | 06/23/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"PURE FIRE FOR GOD. THIS ALBUM TELLS STORIES ABOUT HIS LIFE BUT CONTIUING TO KEEP FAITH IN WALK WITH GOD DURING YOUR LIFE NO MATTER WHAT IS HAPPENING MY NUMBER 2 FAVORITE ALBUM"