JUSTIN WARFIELD: My Trip To Planet 9

Reprise

You'd expect a lot of diversity from a half-Black, half-Jewish city kid like Justin. Unlike Lenny Kravitz, with whom he shares a number of influences (Hendrix, Lennon, Zep, Earth, Wind & Fire, Dylan) this guy has talent and is interested in creating music that's both new and original. Warfield's grooves fuse several musical genres, including (but not limited to) the ever-popular jazz/hiphop combination. Vocally, he breathes new life into old-school rap, while simultaneously recalling the best elements of the Beastie Boys and De La Soul. As if that were not enough, Warfield also plays most of the instrumentation on this debut. You could say that his guitar playing sounds the way, say, Elli ot Easton's (the Cars) might if he had grown up listening to Native Tongues stuff. This is the best rap record I've heard since Gangstarr's Daily Operation. (Jay Murray)

Go to Main Record Reviews page.

Go to Stay Free! Index of Issues.