OLR & The AbSoulJah – Pieces Of Glory (Album Stream)

Last year I’ve been writing about OLR’s collab with the London-based MC and singer Jungle Leez on the fantastic album Another Place. I remember saying something about his remarkable style in terms of him spending a lot of time discovering new ways of musical expressions with which we can expect fantastic projects in the future. Well, here comes Pieces Of Glory.

For the new, fifth studio project the Serbian producer moved from the UK and went to work with the Queens-bred MC known as The AbSoulJah. With the change of the lyricist, the sound changed as well, with OLR moving away from the somewhat indie, free-form-like experimentation with jazz and hip-hop to more direct beats that have that New York jazzy boom bap written all over it. The soulfulness is still here, of course, as it’s OLR’s signature design, but the form is quite different compared to the previous album. Naturally, the producer gets in touch with the essence of the rapper’s style, setting a unique mood that flows through the entire album that goes hand in hand with featured topics.
The AbSoulJah is on the top of his game on this one, providing lyrical swiftness on each of the seven tracks featured on the project. Sure, the album is as short as the previous one which probably is the only complaint, but that flaw will be forgotten soon as you’ll have a need of repeating the album right after finishing with it. The Queens rapper lives up to the role of a genuine storyteller, painting detailed pictures of everyday hardships, false personas, oppressing politicians, questionable ethics and basically fighting the good fight. The AbSoulJah is well aware of where he’s coming from and what’s wrong with his surroundings, and he’s hell-bent on sharing that with the world. Thankfully, there are producers like OLR who got a lot of good stuff tucked under their sleeves, ready to support every worthy MC in their blessing-the-mic efforts.

Needless to say, even though “direct beats” might sound like simple creations, the reality is that the instrumentals are a wee more complex musical designs than you originally would anticipate. Of course, sometimes simplicity provides the best of it, but on the other hand, having your ears full of various, perfectly arranged sampled instruments is a whole another level of a listening experience, often leaving the listener in awe which is the case in Pieces Of Glory. This is not, of course, a project for the clubbing scene, but instead for the indoor enjoyment of the musical journey and contemplation under the thumb of deep lyrics.

TRACKLIST:
01 • Live Eternally
02 • Forces
03 • Morning feat. Sir Moses
04 • We Still Dreamin’
05 • Pointless
06 • Freedom Is a Myth
07 • Future Is Near