3.5/5 stars
On Sour Soul, Ghostface Killah and the jazz trio BadBadNotGood have crafted a solemn, fiercely intelligent album. The artists’ respect for one another is obvious, but it too often feels like they are tag-teaming rather than sharing the spotlight.
It’s frustrating because there is so much to love about this collaboration. BBNG have grown up listening to Ghostface and his ilk, so they intuitively know how to make him sound great. Moving away from their improvisational background, they’ve focused on production and it shows.
When Danny Brown drops in on ‘Six Degrees’, the group switches to a steady bassline, which brilliantly complements Brown’s speedy delivery. It exhibits their aptitude for complex hip hop – if only they’d challenge the rappers a little more. Meanwhile, Ghostface continues his legacy as the prodigal son producing quality while the Wu-Tang Empire flounders. His lyricism demonstrates his maturity. Filled with self-awareness and social commentary, he comes as strong on this as he did his debut.
It all makes for dark, spacey lounge music infused with the bravado of a gangsta rapper. It could just be so much more.
