Tuesday , March 19 2024

Music Review: Chuckie Campbell – ‘Synesthesia,’ featuring Talib Kweli

Chuckie Campbell is back with the second single from his new album, Taking Back Tomorrow, slated to drop June 8. The single is entitled “Synesthesia,” a remix of one of Campbell’s more famous songs.

“Synesthesia” features the talents of Talib Kweli, while other tracks on the new album feature performers like Ras Kass, Quadir Lateef, Heidi Feek, Nicole Atkins, Iesha Green, Mad Dukez, and a host of other luminaries.

Presently residing in Buffalo, NY, the new album marks Campbell’s return to music, after a seven-year hiatus from hip-hop engendered by an assault that broke his jaw in two places. Campbell’s unique brand of hip-hop highlights jazzy, diverse compositions rife with sinuous instruments, lavish arrangements, and poetic distinctions.

The original version of “Synesthesia” was a powerful song, yet the remix boosts the new version’s force by means of the addition of an EDM ambiance, along with an innovative groove. The inclusion of EDM elements gives the music a dreamy, poignant mood.

Pealing synths open the tune, followed by a potently punching kick drum and the oozing reverberation of the bassline. The creamy, measured glow of the emerging synths imbues the tune with mellow EDM flavors, while Campbell’s rapping tones ride overhead. At the break, Kweli’s voice enters, injecting the compact rapping delivery that made him an underground legend.

The lyric video hits home with stark honesty, as its frank declaration regarding the truth about race chimes forth.

“In a field of bluegrass / A green stop sign / Pouring black rain / Glowing gray skies / Tiny white lies / A black wedding dress / A world of white rappers / And black presidents.”

If you’re into cool, innovative hip-hop with a cogent message, you definitely want to check out “Synesthesia” and Taking Back Tomorrow.

Follow Chuckie Campbell on chuckiecampbellmusic.com, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

 

About Randall Radic

Left Coast author and writer. Author of numerous true crime books written under the pen-name of John Lee Brook. Former music contributor at Huff Post.

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