Pez - A Mind of My Own

There are two things I can say to those of you familiar with Pez’s earlier work as half of Melbourne duo ForthWrite. First, you probably have as high expectations for his first solo album as I did. Second, the album is much different to what you are most likely expecting -different, but better. Sharing an obvious chemistry with emcee 360 that so often produces hilarious results, the last thing I was expecting from this album was an almost total absence of the humour and sardonic bravado that stood out on the ForthWrite mixtape released earlier this year. By comparison, this record is deeply personal, showcasing almost every aspect of Pez’s personality along the way. It is also probably the best Australian hip hop release of the year.

Having said that, the fact that A Mind of My Own is officially recognised as a solo album is something of a misnomer, if not a total injustice. Thirteen of the fourteen tracks are produced by DJ Matik, whose production would have undoubtedly stolen the show if left in the hands of a less talented emcee. The first half of the album, in particular, sets the bar remarkably high. The first track, the determined ‘Ainâ€™t Got Time’ (featuring TZU’s Count Bounce) would be a certain first single if not for the album’s most light-hearted moment, ‘The Festival Song’ (featuring 360 and Hailey Cramer). Currently receiving significant airplay on Triple J, ‘The Festival Song’ is a shrewd if not entirely deliberate exercise in good marketing, a tribute to music festivals like Falls and Pyramid Rock hitting the airwaves in spring when those festivals are going on sale. Look for the song to become an anthem for festival-goers everywhere this summer.

The album reaches greater heights with ‘These Days’ (again featuring Hailey Cramer on the hook) in which Pez rewards a spectacular beat from Matik with a rhythmic flow that few emcees could match. The next track, ‘The Way It Should Be’ (featuring Pezâ€™s brother Tys), is a cynical take on the ways of the world from governmental over-reliance on private banks to the staging of the moon landing, while the rough chop-sampled beat provides a setting that would make DJ Premier proud. Overt political themes are revisited later in the album with ‘Speak Out’ and ‘It All Starts to Show’, dealing with everything from mass-consumerism from to subordination of women in society.

Perhaps the highlight of the album, ‘Keep On’ (featuring 360 on the hook) is the perfect show of defiance to critics, in which Pez again flexes his superior flow over what might be the standout beat of the album, a simple bass line complemented perfectly by a subtle vocal sample.

There’s enough substance in this album that just about every track warrants a paragraph in review. Instead, just go out and buy it. For the purists out there, this is “dope beats, dope rhymes” from start to finish, but with an Aussie everyman accessibility that really should appeal to a wider audience than just the local hip hop crowd. With or without a collective album, 2008 really has been ForthWrite’s year and this is the pick of the bunch.

A Mind of My Own - Melbourne album launch - Friday, 24th October 2008 at Roxanne Parlour, level 3, 2 Coverlid Place (doors open at 9:00pm)

- Tommy Gunnz
(Soulmate / Inertia)

Posted by on 10/22 at 03:06 PM

Hi,
When my husband was diagnosed with liver cancer and hepatitis C, I turned to drugs instead of God. When I had reached my lowest point a friend held my face in her hands and said three words that changed my life, “JESUS LOVES YOU.” We began going to church. Our pastor prayed for my husband and three weeks later, when my husband was tested, they found nothing wrong with his liver and his blood tested normal. I have been drug free for a year and my entire family is saved and looking forward to Heaven. Being a Christian is not easy, because Satan does not want to let go of you. But we have to pray and have faith that the Lord will protect us and He will. Cynthia. “The prayer of faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will raise him up...”
Regards, Parkins
drugs in system: cocaine, marijuana, alcohol, nicotine

Posted by how long does cocaine stay in your system on 11/16 at 05:48 PM