Album Review: Otayo Dubb- Cold Piece Of Work0
Posted by - In Music, Reviews
Choosing not to pigeonhole his style into just one box Otayo Dubb, embraces and incorporates the many styles which influence him throughout his life to create his own style: from Reggae to Salsa, Jazz and of course West Coast Hip Hop. “Cold Piece Of Work (Beatrock Music, 2011) encompasses all of these genres and presents what Otayo Dubb likes to call “Blue Collar” music: “music for the masses with a little bit of conscious and a little bit of street.” With production from Dubb himself, MTK, Keelay, 6Fingers, Fatgums and Digital Martyrs and featuring emcees Balance, Zumbi (Zion I), Prometheus Brown (Blue Scholars),Bambu and Rocky Rivera, Sakima and more, this is definitely going to be an exciting album to explore. So how about we do just that, yeah?
01. Jerry McGuire: Great opening track for the album. I actually feel like I wanted to this to be longer; there are so many quotable lines wrapped up in the two minutes of this track and I feel good listening to the album already. When I say that there are quotable lines, I’m not talking punch lines or metaphors, but actual quotes that you can apply to your own everyday. It’s almost like Otayo is speaking directly to you and not at you, and when he asks “who’s coming wit’ me” I feel his sincerity. [5/5]
02. Say Like I Say: This song has a nice bounce to it, and continuing on with the feel good vibes it pretty much plays with the old adage: “Do as I say and not as I do,” and in a way that most young people today can relate to. It’s pretty straightforward and I like that: what Otayo says on the track, you can really feel that he’s coming from a place of experience and sincerity, and what’s also great about it is that even though he’s talking to you about these experiences, it’s not like he’s bragging or being condescending. It just is. [3.5/5]
03. Dippin’ Slow (feat. Balance): As I stated before, I think this track is solid. It’s just a great song to ride around to. I don’t really feel the need to reiterate that I like it so… [4.5/5]
04. Motivate (feat. San Quinn): Smooth track that at first makes me think of some kind of diamond heist/James Bond soundtrack and I would be happy if this were just an instrumental. Bring in Otayo’s verse/chorus and it’s even more in the pocket. The lyrics aren’t necessarily motivational more so than they are examples of finding what motivates yourself…or at least that’s what I took from it. [4.5/5]
05. Weak Heart (feat. Zumbi of Zion I and Rocky Rivera): Hmm, this track took a few listens to appreciate. At first I was like, OK–nice beat, good message…aight..moving on. But then after putting it on repeat a few times, I’m glad I didn’t brush it off. Rocky Rivera’s verse particularly is my favorite. Not to take anything away from the fellas, because they’re both dope. Yeah. This track is definitely worth two or three listens. [5/5]
06. Bang Ya Head: Yeah. We’ve all been there. HEADDESK, FACEPALM, all that. But I like the way Otayo breaks it down. “It” being those situations in life which make you feel like that’s all you can do is “bang ya head against the wall”. [4/5]
07. Oh Oh Yeah (feat. Tahaj the 1st & Prometheus Brown of Blue Scholars): Haha I like the vibe of this one a lot. The monotone bounce of the first verse really grabs you. Plus the old school sample makes me happy. This whole song is actually pretty bouncy and easy to vibe to. I like that. “I feel like I’m kicking some cans when I’m listening to rappers demand to see hands, but never them put up they own and wonder why people ignore ‘em”. RIGHT?! Music is more fun when the artists themselves are enjoying it too. This song makes me feel good. I like I like I like. [4.5/5]
08. Where Do You Go: Stand out track, and in my opinion I’d make this the second single. This track hits home on so many levels and again, there’s that aura of authenticity and sincerity about Otayo Dubb’s songwriting that I mentioned earlier. I could listen to this all day and not get sick of it. [5/5]
09. A Lil More (feat. Bambu): Ok, I’d like to amend my previous statement. This track is also a stand out. Very weird comparison, but this kinda reminds me of some of the tracks on Jason Jame’s Marvelous World of Color in that it speaks some realness, but unlike Jason’s heavy thought provoking style which borders on brooding, there’s a little bit more sunshine incorporated in this track. I really get the feeling that Otayo Dubb is a feel-good person to be around, even with the –almost– depressing subject matter of this song. I wouldn’t be mad if this were the second single either…[5/5]
10. Drift Away (feat. Heddy Fur): I really don’t have much to say about this track other than the fact that I’m starting to expect nothing but excellence. Third song in a row that I’m feeling completely, and now that I think about it, the whole album (so far) has been pleasing to my ears. Also, I just wanted to touch on Heddy Fur’s vocals…haha how sweet?! Perfect contrast, or rather compliment to Otayo. [5/5]
11. Only Ones (feat. Jules Jones): Another track that makes me think of MWoC and again, I can just close my eyes and envision everything that’s being said. It could be my overactive imagination, but I’m gonna blame it on Otayo’s storytelling skills. This track also has a really cool jazzy feel to it that makes it easy to listen to over and over. I like that each time I played it, I caught something else that was either said or inside the beat that I didn’t hear the first time around. [5/5]
12. Let You Down: Another song you can feel is from the heart. I’m taking that Otayo is speaking to his child(ren) in this song, basically because a lot of this is stuff that my own pops has said to me and my brothers. Like. [4/5]
13. 2 Can Be (feat. Jay Anthony): Hip-Hop-love-song: jazzy, smooth, and I don’t hate it. I don’t particularly like it either, but after a few listens I can say that it’s not because it’s a “hip hop love song” that’s practically obligatory on most albums. It’s actually kinda cute hearing Otayo go on about being smitten by this one particular lady, but I’m not feeling Jay Anthony’s vocals. [3/5]
14. Show You The Door (feat. Sakima) & 15. All I Need: Nothing much to say about these two tracks other than they are both very solid, and I like them (I actually listened to them both on repeat for about 30 min. Yeah..I do that some times.) [5/5]
15. Bonus Track: Give Me Tonight (feat. Sakima): Honestly by the time this track rolled around, I was exhausted and a little over the album. After spending a good chunk of the day closely listening to Otayo’s Cold Piece Of Work I thought I’d be done hitting the repeat button, but I actually woke up when this started. I like the ‘bubbly’ sound inside the beat (listen closely…you’ll hear what I mean), and of course when Otayo raps I can actually picture what he’s telling me. Nice. [4.5/5]
OTAYO DUBB: Cold Piece Of Work (Purchase it HERE)
******
Obviously I really liked this album. Overall it’s solid, feel good West Coast hip hop. I loved the fact that every song on this album (whether I liked it or not) flowed perfectly into the next. Almost as if you were walking through a superbly designed house, the different songs led you from one area of emotion and feeling to the next without too many surprises. Would I have liked to have heard other extremes (anger, sadness, etc)? Sure, but the simple fact that I felt good listening to this album from beginning to end means more to me than a gamut of empty emotions for the sake of seeming “deep”. A Cold Piece of Work actually covers all bases: conscious hip hop, deep knowledge, and good time fun, so as a listener, I can’t really ask for more.
