Album of the week: Wax and EOM "Liquid Courage"

Let me start by saying I know this review is a little late, but I just started my blog 10 minutes ago so sue me. Where to start...

Some of you may know Wax from his many exploits on youtube, and EOM, well, you probably don't know him...yet. But judging from his efforts here, you will likely see his name surface again in the near future. EOM stands for Elements of Music, and let's just say I like the elements he puts on display here. Between his experimental beats and Wax's insane lyricism this is pretty much a can't miss album. There are a few throw away tracks, namely Slaughterhouse and Tongue Tied, but overall the results are quite impressive. The standouts here are 'Summer in the City', which borrows from the Lovin Spoonful track of the same name to tell a story of attempted robbery; 'Music and Liquor', an introspective look at Wax's two loves; and 'The Adventures of Larry and Tina', a 21st century story of unrequited love set to the tone of a sprawling circus-like beat that was actually the catalyst for the Liquid Courage project. See Wax and EOM didn't know each other prior to connecting to make one of my favorite albums of '09. EOM, anxious to hook up with an MC as lyrically talented as Wax, sent him numerous beats via MySpace, that Wax politely declined, planning to produce his own album. The beat for 'The Adventures of Larry and Tina' was EOM's last ditch effort at hooking up with Wax and let's just say the beat stuck in Wax's noggin all day long. Wax finally excepted EOM's offer and the rest is history. History I am quite thankful for.

The video for 'The Adventures of Larry and Tina' is pretty sick as well:



What will undoubtedly grab you first about 'Liquid Courage' is Wax's unorthodox ability to rhyme multi-syllabic sentence structures with utter perfection. The self titled track dipslays this quality in full effect:

"...It's Grade A material/ Upscale Maryland, Crab Imperial/If I'm not lyrical/ The earth's not spherical/ And the virgin giving birth to God's son's not a miracle..."

Wax continues his lyrical assault on 'Concerto del Muerto' where he proclaims that:

"...They need to cry me a river since/Rapper's spit soft, I bring the grimy deliverance/ No need to remind me to shiver since/ I spit the Siberian Wilderness..."

In a word: Dopeness.

With 17 tracks and a play time of about an hour, this is the perfect album to accompany you on your morning commute. So if you are in the mood for some experimental production, ridiculously fluid rhyming, and an overall different experience, check out Wax and EOM's 'Liquid Courage.' You won't be dissapointed.

90% Approval Rating