The long overdue deluxe treatment of "Mecca And The Soul Bro
Lucky Sevens | Tiger Town, Alabama | 09/19/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Most music critics unanimously cite Public Enemy"s "It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back" as the best hip hop album ever recorded. Not far behind it is the debut album from Mount Vernon natives Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, "Mecca And The Soul Brother". Long seen as the purveyors of real hip hop, their background seemed to imply less so. They made their debuts on a couple of songs in the new jack swing era (Basic Black's "She's Mine" and the remix to Johnny Gill's "Rub You The Right Way"). They were also part of the largely R&B stable, Untouchables Entertainment, which was founded by Heavy D. & The Boyz member Edward "Eddie F." Ferrell. Despite the looming issue of nepotism (Pete Rock is Heavy D.'s cousin), they crafted what many consider to be an early 90's masterpice. They even had a Top-20 hit on R&B radio with the song about love and loss within the family "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)". After almost 20 years, it's only right that the album got the reissue/deluxe treatment.
The first disc is the original album in its entirety, well, almost. The remixes of "The Creator" and "Mecca And The Soul Brother" were- and still are- only available on the cassette version. They weren't included on the compact disc format due to the fact the album was 90 minutes long. On the second disc, is where they could have improved things a little. There are five(!) different versions of "They Reminisce Over You", but they make up for it with a few B-sides. They have the remixes to "Lots Of Lovin'" and "Straighten It Out" as well as including the rare "It's Not A Game". To sweeten the deal, they could have included the songs they did for soundtracks- namely "Poetic Justice" ("One In A Million"), "Menace II Society" (their amusing attempt at gangsta rap "Death Becomes You"), and "Who's The Man?" (What's Next On The Menu?"). How influential is this album? Consider this- J. Dilla, 9th Wonder and Pharrell Williams all praised this album as the reason why they started producing, and the duo Reflection Eternal is basically Pete Rock & C. L. Smooth Version 2.0. Overall, this record is a must have for anyone who considers themselves a fan of hip hop."
