Quelle Chris and Chris Keys have proven to be crucial collaborators over the course of the 2010s. On 2015's Innocent Country, their first full album together, Keys' nostalgic, abstract beats fit Quelle's playful and profound reflections like a glove, and Keys helmed some of the highlights of Quelle's subsequent, more ambitious solo efforts, particularly "Obamacare" from 2019's Guns. Coming after that astounding release as well as Quelle's Everything's Fine, his acclaimed 2018 joint venture with wife Jean Grae, Innocent ...
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Quelle Chris and Chris Keys have proven to be crucial collaborators over the course of the 2010s. On 2015's Innocent Country, their first full album together, Keys' nostalgic, abstract beats fit Quelle's playful and profound reflections like a glove, and Keys helmed some of the highlights of Quelle's subsequent, more ambitious solo efforts, particularly "Obamacare" from 2019's Guns. Coming after that astounding release as well as Quelle's Everything's Fine, his acclaimed 2018 joint venture with wife Jean Grae, Innocent Country 2 sounds mellower and more casual in some ways, yet it's roughly twice as long as the original Innocent Country, and both its extensive guest list and audio fidelity are more in line with Quelle's later albums. Keys' productions are generally clean and polished, filled with jazzy pianos and warm rhythms rather than the more disjointed sample-choppery of before. Quelle's rhymes focus on maintaining sanity and happiness throughout all of life's obstacles, and while these are easily his most mature lyrics to date, he still injects the album with plenty of satire and surrealism. "Outro/Honest" concludes with an angry voice mail message from comedian Marcella Arguello, berating a partner who won't pick up or return her calls, yet posts on Twitter at that very moment. On "Living Happy," Quelle describes dying and ascending to heaven, only to be greeted by angels performing every hip-hop dance move imaginable. Departing slightly from the smooth, self-assured tone of the album, the darker, more sinister "Bottle Black Power Buy the Business" sounds more like a Guns outtake, with a trap-ish bang to the beats and more forceful rhymes. "Graphic Bleed Outs" juxtaposes hard-edged bars with lush strings and even a flute solo, ending up with a chorus from Tune-Yards' Merrill Garbus, lamenting a shattered relationship. Two lengthy posse cuts and a brief outro close out the album. Over a sludgy beat and church pianos, Earl Sweatshirt and Denmark Vessey deliver heady guest verses during "Mirage," which ends with a motivational sermon from Big Sen. "When You Fall..." retains a bit of the gospel organ glow but feels much more down to earth, underlining the album's message of striving for a better tomorrow while accepting and staying true to yourself. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi
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Add this copy of Innocent Country 2 to cart. $6.41, fair condition, Sold by Service First Media rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Taylorsville, KY, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Mello Music Group.
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Fair. Ex-Library rental. Disc(s) are professionally cleaned and may contain only light scratches that do not effect functionality. Includes disc(s), case, and artwork. May be missing booklet. Disc(s), case, and artwork may contain library/security stickers and ink writing. ARTWORK IS UNORIGINAL AND PRINTED BY LIBRARY. Case and artwork may show some wear. Case may not be an original jewel case. All disc(s) are authentic.
Add this copy of Innocent Country 2 to cart. $46.80, new condition, Sold by Revaluation Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Exeter, DEVON, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2020 by Mello Music Group.
