I've said it before and I'll say it again: There's nothing worse than digging the first couple tracks on a record only to have your excitement steadily decrease as the album progresses. "Talk to Strangers" is the dark and brooding opener on Saul Williams, and it really works. But "Grippo" is the cut to really get excited about. On white people in hip-hop: "Substitute the anger and oppression with guilt and depression and it's yours." Strong (and true) words.
Williams can't make it last though, and the album descends into bad rap rock that can't contain his talent, much like his previous record, 2001's Amethyst Rock Star. In the end, this supremely talented artist has yet to prove himself as a musician rather than a poet.
Saul Williams »
