One Place You’ll Never Be

Curren$y “A Gee”

Curren$y’s second album of 2010 is better than the first, which is saying something, since the first Pilot Talk was a pretty solid effort. Whereas that album settled into a stoner rap niche, its sequel has a smooth, late night funk sound to it, mellow and jazzy and highly melodic. This brings out the best in Curren$y, whose raps come out sounding more fluid and intuitive than ever, as if his well-crafted verses could be entirely effortless. Remember a couple weeks ago when I wrote about how Stereolab are good at making music that has a good “earfeel”? Pilot Talk 2 is very much like that, it’s just such a pleasure to hear, it’s like eating some rich, insanely delicious comfort food. However, despite the cozy warmth of its sound, there’s a chilly center to this music. Curren$y has an aloof vibe, he plays it up well in his lyrics. The killer line to this effect is here in “A Gee,” it’s one of my favorite lyrics from anything this year: “No matter where you go / one place you’ll never be / is close / even if you move right next to me.” Cold!

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