Artist: Devine Carama
Album: Heart Of A King
Source:
Tracklisting:
1. The Nicest
2. Fugitive
3. Soul Dead
4. Medicine Man (ft. Marcus McClinton)
5. Something New
6. New Life (ft. Courtney Campbell)
7. Momma Told Me (ft. Courtney Campbell)
8. Purgatory (ft. Courtney Campbell)
9. Midnight Souls
10. Golden Era Flow (ft. Rob Jackson)
11. Brown Sugar (ft. Jalin Roze)
12. My Apologies (ft. Sheisty Kreist x Marcus Wilkerson)
13. My One & Only
14. Knight Rider (Ridin’ City Music)
15. Celebration (ft. D. Page)
16. Hang On To The World
17. Firecrackers and Parachutes
Note:
This review was a long time in coming. It is one of the most difficult reviews I have ever engaged in due to the albums’ complexities. After all, it’s not every day that you get an album like, Heart Of A King.
Blood of A Slave, Devine Carama’s previous album release, was more traditional in it’s production, and this album is more of a deviation from the traditional. Conceptually it is also different, in that Carama is vested in the listening experience as though he was having a conversation with an old friend. He offers observation and insight. He eagerly is trying to convey his perspective.
The first track, The Nicest, is somewaht misleading as to what the rest of the album is like but still worth talking about. On a purely lyrical level, Carama murders the track via an ill flow and several punchlines, illustrating the talent he possesses. But this track is more a display of sheer ability than it personifies the rest of, Heart Of A King.
The Fugitive really begins to personify what the album is all about. It’s about the mortality and human nature of Devine Carama. It is about the wisdom he has accumulated in life,which he intends to impart to the album’s listener. The Fugitive utilizes a sample from Bad Company’s 1974 track that goes by the same name, while Carama expresses himself like so:
I’m always on the run / Tryin’ to catch my destiny, daughters instead of sons / This life, karma got the best of me. This game is like war. / Do I fight with silence or fence with my sword? / Trying to find the right weaponry / God keeps blessing me / Despite my indecisiveness, walking contradiction when I’m speaking with my tongue…
This one verse may epitomize a sentiment expressed throughout the album. Devine Carama recognizes the duality inside of himself as a saint and sinner. He also notices the same arguments found in his surroundings.
We get lessons from momma on the appropriately titled, Momma Told Me. Carama narrates about the wisdom instilled in him from his mother that he heeds and holds more dear than much of the formal education he received throughout life. This cut is chocked full of observations and little pearls of wisdom, and backed melodically by Courtney Campbell’s voice.
In perfect sequence, Purgatory, resumes the album. This track is one of the more provocative songs, not just of the album, but of any musical effort in recent memory. In the latter part of the song, Carama addresses the topics of homosexuatily and civil rights. He ties the two issues together bucking the trends of a homophobic culture. He states while me might not agree with the homosexual lifestyle, he certainly supports their right to civil liberty. It’s brave and insightful when considering we exist in a world that prides itself on the gratuitous “pause”.
What did I derive from Heart Of A King? We can not escape ourselves. There is tragedy and triumph in all of us. That’s what I took on a personal level. Now from a musical standpoint the album is extremely well organized. There is such great flow to the tracks. It is sequenced perfectly. I can’t think of an album that impressed me any more in how it is arranged. This is a real album. It was thought through from first to last track. The other unique factor of the album was Carama’s style an presence. I felt as though he was sitting across from me at a table breaking down life game. It’s an extremely personal piece of work for both artist and listener. Heart Of A King is conscious, intimate, brazen, and surpasses the normal standard for what is considered a great album
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