A One Listen Album Review

I was introduced to Ozay Moore in college when he was part of “Lightheaded.” Fast forward about 20 years and he’s still holding it down. I was happy when I heard of his upcoming release this week. Today I’m listening to Ozay Moore’s “In The Wake Of O.” Let’s check it out.

At first look, everything is appealing to the eye. The cover art is on point, vibrant colors and a profile of Ozay himself surrounded by alternate portrayals. The list of features doesn’t disappoint. Lightheaded has reunited on a track, Sareem Poems, Propaganda, and James Gardin among others. I’m in a hopeful mood even before I dive in.

Diving In

First track is called “Thumb Drive” and it begins with some wind blowing and rhodes begin to chime in as well as some horns. This song starts low key and builds in intensity as the beat progresses. Above the bar rhymes all the way leading into some p-funk vocals in the outro. Terrific opener. “Othello isn’t Ozay but we share the things that have made us…neither one of us has ever desired to be famous”

Second track, “Good” brings in some boom bap with a vocal sample. Ozay spits nothing but BARS. There’s lyrical density here that’s been unmatched in 2018, and the music is so clean and spacious I’m given room to digest. Round all of this out with the hook implementing some strong gang vocals and we are golden. “All in all I’m good I don’t want it that bad/Come what may I’m right here/You do it your way I’mma do it mine”

At the beginning of this third track I’m starting to settle in. While it’s predictable, the music is all laid out on top of some solid drum kits. If this isn’t done well, a listener could get tired. I’m finding out so far that the artists producing each track are intentional about making everything sound congruent, and it’s after that when they change up layers and textures to make the song their own. Fluidity is on point so far, and if you’ve been reading my reviews this is a value of mine. The hook on this song is perfect. Everything is working together and the features fit nice and snug into this landscape that’s been created. I really dig the scratching at the end as well. We’re flying above the bar at the moment.

“I’m beat boxin the beat/ I’m pete rockin it like Jay gave the youngins the rock they keep droppin it”

Track 4 is a skit, a chance for us to get a mental break due to the challenging lyrics and sonic bombs. (I can’t really critique skits and I don’t think they should count against an overall feel of an album as long as the artist doesn’t feature too many of them.)

“WSTCST” comes out of nowhere and I’m geeked. It’s that 90’s west coast G-Funk vibe and it’s so on point.

“It’s where you wanna go/It’s where you dream to be/And if you ever make it/You’ll never want to leave” 

7-11’s and Mullets

I truly feel like this album needed that skit in order to give us a sonic left turn from where the rest of the album was headed. I’m impressed by the creative decisions, and while this song doesn’t really fit with anything so far, my ears were willing to accept it because of that skit break. It’s also rare in the current state of music to find albums with numerous songs that are four and a half minutes long or longer. It’s bold but it shows that Ozay trusts his content and he trust the producers to continue to intrigue the listener throughout. As I say that, I’m witnessing a song that may have gone on too long. There is so much business up front – intricate flows full of bars and incredible music that leads to euphoria. I just feel like we’ve got too much of a party in the back. This outro is a 7-11 (7 words 11 times) and gets played out for me. While it all sounds and feels great I think we’re hanging out here for too long. If it’s getting shaggy in the back, I say just go ahead and cut it before you’ve grown a mullet.

Track 6 is the Lightheaded reunion, “Crowd React” that we’ve all been waiting for. (Okay maybe just me?) At the tope we’re hit with heavy synths and shakers and a highly percussive beat. The first thing we’re introduced to is the hook, and then we’re into the verses. I dig the construction of the song here. Instead of just one verse at the top, we get back to back verses before the next hook. All the features are on point. I found Braille to be a little raw but he came with it and it worked well with the overall feel. “Say we’re fresh or say we wack/We just wanna see the crowd react”