Search - Pharoahe Monch :: Desire

Desired a better album!

Siskel | Las Vegas, NV | 12/27/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I am a Pharoahe Monch fan and that's why I give "Desire" three stars. If I could I'd give it 3 & 1/2. He is very talented and i've listened to him since his Organized Konfusion days. To me a 13 song album should not have any weak points and this one does. Re-doing a "Public Enemy" song is a mistake for any artist no matter the talent. Using somewhat weak production and being a good artist is always a poor choice. Pharoahe is worth great beats, so he should use great beats. I did like a good percentage of the songs but there are only 13 and I paid more than $13 to buy the album. You do the math."

All hail the pharoahe

Anthony Rupert | Milwaukee, WI | 01/10/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A lot of times when an artist takes an eight-year hiatus between albums, the end result isn't very entertaining. And with rappers, the long delay is usually a result of potential subsequent albums being leaked, shelved, what have you (ask Ras Kass). But with Pharoahe Monch, that wasn't the case; he merely just took a few years off. Thankfully, he returns in fine form with Desire.



I'm not quite sure what the hell is going on on the album cover, but anyway, several of the songs feature R&B singers on the choruses (and sometimes during the verses). Fortunately, the results don't sound clichéd, as male crooner Showtyme helps Monch score on "Push". There's also a female singer named Mela Michinko that adds nice vocals to "Bar Tap" and "Let's Go" (as well as the aforementioned "Push"). And even the necessary keep-your-head-up song "Hold On" (with Erykah Badu) works.



If people are skeptical about the Mr. Porter-assisted "When the Gun Draws", don't worry; it's actually not what about what you might think; it's instead a very interesting story (but things don't ALWAYS work out that well; more on that later). The aforementioned "Let's Go" is a club starter that actually works, and the romantic "So Good" is just that.



There are two songs on here that I just couldn't get into. One is "Body Baby", and the other is the nine-minute album closer "The Trilogy" because, well, it details shootin' up the man who his wife cheated with (and I think his wife as well), and shootin' people up just ain't Pharoahe Monch. I also think that the metaphors during the second verse of the title track are a little too graphic. But this is still a great album, so if you desire some real conscious hip-hop, pick it up.



Anthony Rupert"