Artist: Paradox and DJ Sean P
Album: Mending
Label: Phatmass Records
Release Date: August 2011
Reviewed By: BMer
Track Listing:
- Paradox X DJ Sean P
- Here Lies (ft. Relic & Griffin)
- Forecast (ft. Wonder Brown)
- Go Outside
- He’ll Come Back (ft. MotionPlus & Freddie Bruno)
- Blessed Broken Shared (ft. Sivion & sintax.the.terrific)
- I Don’t Believe Them (ft. IZK)
- Last Time
- Don’t You Know (ft. JustMe & Ruslan)
- Not Worthy (ft. Gina Chavez)
- Man VS Self (ft. Manchild)
- Lift
Paradox is back with a new album titled Mending, with support from DJ Sean P and a host of guest spots. Paradox brings an old-school delivery over some solid hip hop beats, his concious-thought delivery is very clear and free of an over-abundance of slang that is often found on rap albums today. Paradox is very articulate and his delivery is unique, reminscent of Skee-lo or Eminem (when Eminem is in his light-hearted mood, goofy mood).
Mending is 12 tracks of well-constructed hip-hop songs about the constant state of repair we’re all in, we’re all mending in a sense. DJ Sean P does a great job of bringing this feel to the album with his old-school samples, keeping them sounding like they should (clicks and pops) while supporting them with simple, clean beats. The standout sample on Mending comes on the track “I Don’t Believe Them” where DJ Sean P samples Nina Simone’s “Funkier Than A Mosquito’s Tweeter”. He slows down the line “Clean up your rap, your story’s getting dusty…”. The djembe and hand-drums give the whole track a tribal feel, but still staying true to the hip-hop feel.
Paradox skips around from topic to topic, starting off on “Here Lies” with some raps about greed and social issues, to the faith-strengthening “Go Outside” where Paradox raps and talks about his faith “nothing I’ve ever done is of me, and if its not of God, it’s not gonna be worth anything anyway”. Throughout Mending Paradox shows an impressive grasp of Old Testament bible stories, most notably the Prophets. One of the more clever lines on the album comes from Freddie Bruno on “He’ll Come Back” where Freddie is rapping about how “the Son will come back like he kept the receipt.” Another bright guest-spot comes from Gina Chavez, one of NPR’s “Breakout Latina Artists”. Her hook on “Not Worthy” is smooth and, even though it’s in spanish, it really helps the track stand-out.
OVERALL Mending is a solid album, standout tracks like “He’ll Come Back”, “Man vs Self”, and “Don’t You Know” really gets your head bobbing while bringing some serious talk. Paradox has done a great job of trying to bring a fresh sound to the scene with his clean, articulate raps and his hip-hop feel. At some points Paradox’s delivery is predictable and a little forced, he meanders up and down through verses too often and sounds repetitive. Guest spots by Freddie Bruno, Gina Chavez, Sivion & Syntax and others really help bring a contrast to the vocal styles and are well-placed. If you’re looking for something different from the over-produced Christian rap you should give Mending a spin.
Get the album here