Reviews

It would be tempting to let Reflect review his own CD, because so many of the lyrics on "Hope Wuz Here" apply to a qualitative review of this fantastic album. In fact, you almost don't need to go beyond the spoken word samples that make up the album's intro to get to a solid review:

"He'll tell you what's on his mind, but more importantly, he'll tell you what's in his heart."

"You can clearly see he has a dream."

"There's just something about this young man. You can hear pain in his voice. There's hope there."

"He thinks he can change the world."

On most hip-hop records, you could write off phrases like this as mere braggadocio. But Reflect proceeds to make good on the promise of those words with 11 tracks of superior flow; intelligent, thoughtful, meaningful lyrics; and truly original sounds.

"Hope Wuz Here" almost plays as a manifesto; or at the least, a very well organized research project. Reflect opens with a powerful thesis statement in "Intro/Change the World," laying the ground work for what he'll present on the tracks that follow. He sets himself as a voice striving to be heard, and striving to expose the injustices of the world.

The songs that follow make his case: "Same Day," about trying to overcome the monotonous trap of a bleak daily life. "Mr. Newspaperman," about distrust of the mainstream media. "Pass the Buck," about the inability of people to take responsibility. "Still a Star," about keeping up the enthusiasm and will to succeed despite overwhelming odds. One song after another, each with its own powerful impact.

It all comes to a head with the final track, "Things Will Look Up/Outro," an intense conversation with a higher power that also acts a summation of the events of the album, lyrically calling back to every track in a kind of closing argument.

The music is harder to peg. Reflect's songs don't really sound like anyone else's. There are clear blues influences, Asian overtones, head-noddin' beats and even some tracks that can get feet moving. Overall, the disc has a stark, sparse and intimate feel that matches well with the subject matter of the songs. But short of a sly lyrical reference to Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's "The Message," there's not an artist you can point to that Reflect sounds like. He sounds wholly original. He sounds like Reflect.

Reflect wrote, produced and mixed all 11 tracks on "Hope Wuz Here," and even handled the programming and played most of the instruments. It would be an impressive achievement even if the album was a flop, but "Hope Wuz Here" is far from that. All of that effort wouldn't matter if Reflect didn't have talent. But he does, and that makes the difference between a disc that merely holds promise and one that fulfills promise.

Going back to that opening track, "Change the World" wraps with Reflect saying, "What you have here is everything I've got. I did the best I could on my end. Just be open and feel it."

There's no better advice than that. If you're not feeling this, you're not listening.