“Are you ready for a good time baby? Are you ready for the best night of your life?” That’s the opening line of 2nd Act (Phoenix Rising), the closing cut off of Lyrics Born’s latest album, “Real People.” And it’s pretty much par for the course of the album: A monster hook, quickly rapped verses, and a beat that creates an irresistible urge to move, move, move! What makes this song a standout for me is that it almost feels like rock and roll, which sets it apart from LB’s usual mix of soul and funk. As for the rest of the album, it feels exactly like a Lyrics Born album: A few slow jams, but mostly party anthems. Thematically, however, it’s more mature. The love songs aren’t sex songs per se (although some of them, like Around the Bend, are definitely sexy)–they’re truly about love. For example, one is called Holy Matrimony.
If you like LB, this album won’t disappoint you. But it won’t win any new converts, either, as it says fairly true to the indie rappers established milieu. And considering that several songs from his first album (in particular, “Calling Out”) are still on regular rotation in my playlists, that’s not a bad thing.
And while we’re on the subject of Lyrics Born, here’s one of my favorite mash ups of all time:
Callin’ Out on Sunday-Party Ben (U2 vs. Lyrics Born) (direct mp3 download)
