Artist: Curly Castro
Album: Brody EP
Tracklisting:
1. Going Back To London
2. All Bets Are Off (ft. Zilla Rocca and Has-Lo)
3. Livery (ft. Castle)
4. David Rodigan (ft. Hubbs and Armand Hammer)
5. A Wake
6. Daisy Swallowed A Diamond
Note:
Curly Castro offers the world a little something different with his latest release, Brody. The EP is short and succinct but proves the point that just because the project is short on run time doesn’t mean that it runs short on character. Now, I will say that if you are not familiar with the movie, Snatch, you may have to watch that first before you start indulging in this release. The creativity for Brody stems from Castro and company using the characters and storyline from Snatch in the story of this EP. So being able to truly appreciate this EP requires a little study in film. That’s not to say that you can’t just appreciate the music for music’s sake but you will miss some of the creativity. I digress.
All Bets Are Off showcases the talents of the entire Wrecking Crew. Zilla Rocca and Has-Lo join Castro in some intense bar exchanges that resemble a conversation from the aforementioned movie. Another remarkable feat is the fact that Rocca produced this entire EP using the soundtrack from Snatch as it’s backbone. There’s a certain element of 70s funk integrated with the boom-bap sounds that give this particular cut a very retro feel.
On Livery, Mello Music Group’s very own Castle lends a hand on the verbals. On this track Zilla Rocca does an awesome job setting up this production and keeping it interesting. He leads with the congo percussion and then rotates the sound routinely giving the listener a lot to digest. Castro and Castle utilize the beat to perfection to tell different sides of the same tale. This is just a piece of Castro’s bars:
Misfists leave a weapon, dig into a bush / That’s the last time I play a half way crook / “Yo Look out!” Stagger through the alley like a blind man, sad, slip, bust my ass on a trash can / Holy grail of taxis, solo chariot, doors open, Chappelle on the first thing smoking / Other door flew open, heart nearly gave out / Tripping…is this another brother on the same route?
Probably the best song to me is A Wake. The beat on this track is simply wicked. The drums Zilla Rocca uses smack hard and Castro is able to change cadences over the variable rhythm perfectly. You can tell that the two have worked with each other quite a bit because the chemistry is certainly illustrated here. One of the best head knockers of 2014.
Brody is a hard project to review because each song is relevant to the next and the prior. It’s not easy to discuss the vibe and content without discussing each track and by virtue of that fact you can be assured that this release is special. There’s really no comparable project when it comes relating Brody to another EP. There have been albums that have been laden in story and concept but not in an EP. The fact that the concept lies in the characters from the movie Snatch makes it all the more appealing and interesting. And it’s not made interesting just from the story itself, but from the fluidity of the rhythms Rocca uses and the wordplay of all of the emcees. So if you are looking to cleanse the ear’s palette of the trivial and common place, look no further than Brody.
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