Strange Journey Volume Two
| 2009 |
Strange Journey Volume Two
|
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CD |
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elgringocolombiano
 good
[Rating26276091]
|
Cunninlynguists 2009 Strange Journey Vol 2
BEATS 3.0
GOOD 5/11 ~45% (exclude 1 10 16 [skit], 11 12 [remix])
Close Your Eyes
Running Wild
Still With Me [Remix]
To Be For Real
The Wwkya Tour [Remix]
Cunninlynguists (Cu) is a rap group from Lexington, KY, founded by producer/rapper Kno (Kn), & rapper/singer Deacon The Villain (DTV). This album also has rapper Natti (Na), who joined Cu in 2004. This is officially Cu’s 6th studio album; IMHO it plays like a Kn producer album.
BENCHMARK Cunninlynguists 2007 Dirty Acres |
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Rayhzel
 Great
CD
[Rating26078450]
|
Time to refill that tank and start that engine, because CunninLynguists are back for the second part of their Strange Journey, for some more unreleased goodies.
This release follows the exact same blueprint as the first Strange Journey release. It's another 16 tracks, including the outro and intro and even the interlude is at the exact same spot. There is also one live recording, which is a dope song and track breathes life, but fuck the quality of a live recording. Once again there are three remixes, but I don't know the originals to 'The WWKYA Tour' (We Will Kick Your Ass!) and Still With Me, but these interpertations by Kno are solid for sure. The other remix is done by Blue Sky Black Death for 'The Park'. I already loved the original, but this take by BSBD is pure dopeness. I like it even better then the original, not an easy thing to do. This is one of two songs on the album that isn't produced by Kno.
The other song is produced by J-Zone, namely 'Cocaine'. Which is a really tight track about cocaine abuse (obviously) and I really love the J-Zone funkyness, but the track really stands out because it doesn't fit it with the other songs on the album, because of that beat. Still a tight song though. The other new tracks are really dope too. Once again there are seem real gems present, as Kno laces all the tracks with some really beautiful beats. He just keeps coming with beats that sound real fresh. The way the album kicks off with 'Imperial' is amazing (dope spot by Freddie Gibbs) and Sean Price on a CunninLynguists song is unexpected, but it really works. It's not just that the beats are dope on this project, but there are also some strong lyrics with tracks like 'To Be For Real' and 'Running Wild'. The latter with dope features from Evidence and E-40. I have to admit that I still get headaches trying to tell the difference between Natti and Deacon though. This is their fourth release and I still can't do it. The most emotional track comes from the pen of Cashmere The PRO though. 'Tear Tracks' is indeed a tearjerker and I wish this guy would release an album sometime. All his features I heard have been dope.
This is more of the same, but once again I'm really happy that QN5 chose to bring these tracks to the masses. These joints are just too good to miss out on. It's still unbelievable that all these tracks are leftover cuts and there was no use for them. I know we just got two albums worth of new material and I hate to be greedy, but I'm already looking forward to a new album. |
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Drutopia
Digital
[Rating25903277]
|
2009 was a prosperous year for CunninLynguists. Despite Kno being tied up in his producer role on Tonedeff's long awaited Chico and the Man, the Kentucky trio still found the time to drop Strange Journey, a two-part concept album about the gruelling life of the touring musician. To call either installment a new CunninLynguists album however is pushing the envelope - reading more like mixtapes in their execution, both volumes feature an abundance of remixes, guest appearances and even a couple of live tracks. Nonetheless it's CunninLynguists, the most consistent group in hip hop, so sleeping is not and never was an option. Strange Journey Volume One dropped back in March, and now it's time for Volume Two.
It is my opinion that producer Kno, one of the hottest beatsmiths to walk the face of the Earth, can do no wrong. CunninLynguists could easily rest on their laurels and allow his beats to carry them through their albums, however fortunately this has never been the case and is not about to change now. Deacon the Villain and Natti treat us to their usual stellar standard of rhyme, making for some great cuts in the serving of "Hearts" and "To Be for Real". Like on it's predecessor, CunninLynguists relinquish the chance on Strange Journey Volume Two to bring in several cohorts for guest appearances. The strongest performance of these comes from Jermiside, who's track "Still With Me" is remixed to feature the absolute pinnacle of Kno's production talents. Freddie Gibbs drops in on opener "Imperial" and brings a strong verse on an otherwise forgettable track, while E-40 and Evidence bring strong verses on gritty lead single "Running Wild". Outside production comes from J-Zone in the form of "Cocaine", though as popular and well-received as this one has proven with fans I have to admit I'm not really feeling it. Blue Sky Black Death also contribute a dope remix of "The Park", and the inclusion of "Nothing to Give" live from the 2009 QN5 Megashow is a satisfying teaser of a (hopefully) soon to be released DVD. The live Club Dub mix of the track captures the passion of the performance well, adding to an already dope cut and making it feel fresh again.
Strange Journey Volume Two is not without it's flaws however, and it's simple truth that as great as some of it is there's nothing groundbreaking by the group's usual standard. There is notable filler to be found on this release (the Sean Price/Poison Pen collaborative effort "Streets" does nothing for me, nor does Cashmere the Pro's "Tear Trax" or Withdoctor's "Everywhere"), and even the high notes don't ring as loudly as the best of Strange Journey Volume One. It feels almost as if the Lynguists were stretching the Strange Journey concept out a bit to cover two albums, as the former is notably less cluttered and better overal than the latest. Nonetheless it's a satisfying sequel, particularly in context of the album's compilation-like presentation and delivery. I eagerly await the next proper CunninLynguists studio album with growing anticipation, though first and foremost Kno, get Chico and the Man out! |
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natronemeans96
[Rating26094228]
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So there are a few weak guest appearances on the album. Big deal. Yes, it's time CL gets back to doing its shit on its own, but I give these guys credit for swallowing their pride and letting all these low profile rappers get in on their work. More importantly, Deacon and Natti deliver once again as they continue to improve in many respects, and Kno continues to demonstrate his uncanny vision as a producer.
Oh, and by the way, Barack Obama's appearance alone makes this disc worthy of at least four stars.
With all due respect to Volume One, that motherfucker's got nothing on Volume Two. |
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Nodima
Good; recommended for fans.
Digital
[Rating26053102]
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Strange Journey Volume Two (Produced by Kno unless noted) [A Piece of Strange Music 2009]
1|Departure Part 2|0:31 3 - 3.5
2|Imperial (feat. Freddie Gibbs)|2:50 4 - 4.75
This beat seems like it's a Ratatat sample with arpeggios (or whatever) from an Animal Collective at the end.
3|Substantial - The WWKYA Tour (Remix) (feat. Extended Famm)|4:57 3.5 - 4
4|Streets (feat. Sean Price & Poison Pen)|3:19 3 - 3.25
I'm feeling the beat though.
5|Heart (feat. Tunji)|2:13 3.75 - 4
6|To Be for Real|3:23 4 - 4.5
7|Cashmere the Pro - Tear Tracks|4:15 3 - 3.5
Maybe one of my favorite Kno beats one day, but again subpar rapping.
8|Jermiside - Still With Me (Remix) (feat. Deacon the Villain)|2:51 3.75 - 4
9|Close Your Eyes (feat. Geologic, Grieves & Macklemore)|3:58 4 - 4.25
10|Pit Stop|0:41 3
11|The Park (Blue Sky Black Death Remix)|4:30 (Produced by Blue Sky Black Death) 4 - 4.75
12|Nothing to Give (Live) (feat. Club Dub)|3:24 3 - 3.75
13|Cocaine|3:32 (Produced by J-Zone) 3.5 - 4
14|Running Wild (feat. E-40 & Evidence)|3:35 3.75 - 4
15|Witchdoctor - Everywhere (feat. Deacon the Villain)|3:14 4 - 4.75
16|Arrival (Outro)|0:24 3 - 3.5
Overall: 58 - 61.75 3.74/5 73 - 77%: Solid; few major reservations; TRY IT
I listened to this and loved it a lot when it first came out, but over time it's worn off a little quicker than SJV1. The beats are great as always - actually, I prefer these to the first tape I think. But the overall mood is a lot more enjoyable on SJV1, and more importantly the rapping is just a little better. "Imperial", "To Be for Real", "The Park" and "Cocaine" are great but the rest of the songs are only pleasing in a very immediate way. Closer looks aren't as rewarding. Thankfully I've never been an extreme fan of Deacon and Natti so my month hasn't been ruined by a 'simply pretty good' CunninLynguists album. But I do know the group could do a little better, and the amount of features definitely works to their disadvantage here. I can just see these beats getting torn up, but "Imperial" and "Cocaine" are probably the only two tracks given any respect. And, to be honest, I didn't enjoy the J-Zone beat at all for multiple listens, but around the 8th or 9th spin it's grown on me while quite a few of the raps have slowly seemed just a step below what's to be expected.
Honestly, like SJV1 I got the deluxe version and this time around I prefer listening to the instrumental section of the disc. On the last volume I thought it was a bit too much of a deja vu feeling, but here it really works for me. Beats like "WWKYA Tour (Remix)" are just really fun to listen to in my opinion. Like diction said, I'm just not sure that this disc has as much replay value as the first volume, it just feels bloated and I'm kind of ready to hear a straight up CunninLynguists album, concept or not. Strange Journey Volume Two is about on the level of quality as Southernunderground, so fans of the group are definitely going to get a big kick out of it, but it's also got enough small things going against it to not quite stack up against the last three CL releases. |
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StreetsDisciple
Reasonable, Some Good Tracks
Digital
[Rating24291103]
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Another fairly good album from beginning to end from the group in the space of nine months, but Volume One is a fairway better as far as I'm concerned. There are only a couple of tracks to put on repeat from this while Volume One has better production throughout with most tracks being quality.
Best Tracks: Imperial, Heart, To Be for Real, Nothing to Give (Live), Cocaine, Running Wild |
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diction
Decent
Digital
[Rating25967335]
|
Lyrics: 3.5
Beats: 3.0
The leftovers of the leftovers. Well I guess this was to be expected, it's just surprising that it worked so fine on the first volume. This is just generic Cunninlynguists and what they would sound if they were just another average underground group... It's not really bad, but when you know what they are capable of then this is really not very satisfying. But after all this is really just an album of leftovers that won't make the next album so I guess it's hard to be really critical of this stuff, it's just some more stuff for the fans... But Volume 1 really worked well as an album, but this really feels like a bunch of leftover songs. Favorite cuts are the J-Zone beat "Cocaine" and the BSBD remix (surprising both not from Kno!), overall this is still a decent album but it's not something I'm gonna play very often especially when there's so many better things to go to in their catalog. Now that this Strange Journey stuff is over, I'm ready for the real next album. |
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DavidIs
 Not Bad, yet use-less
[Rating26005506]
|
Seem Like the first Midiocre Cunnin album. it doesn't fuckin work. as loaded (toooo much) as it is.
Strange Journey Volume ONE was much better. I guess expacting awesome albums, year after year is too much.
their 2007 Dirty Acres was the last 'awesome' cunnin album. now 2 so- so albums in 2009.
I think they need to sit down & see how they are getting better in the future & more surprising.
sit with EL-P.. now that's a good ass producer. and take more time betwin albums.. damn. |
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etcoon
Digital
[Rating25923022]
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Отличный релиз, мне вот даже больше саузернандеграунда нравится.
Хайлайтс: The WWKYA Tour (Remix), Streets, Close Your Eyes, Cocaine, Everywhere. |
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Zephos
Great
[Rating25934010]
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With two different releases in the same year, both of which lead the fandom to break out into hot sweats, 2009 was in a sense the year of the Cunninlynguists. And the consistent quality for both releases, which when entirely new material is taken into account are at least two albums both. The mixtape angle comes only from the scattered live cuts and remixes on the two, and this one has even less then the first! Of course the quality of the tracks is slightly below that of the Part 1. But look down there at the rating. It's STILL a "4". This difference is barely there, both are worthy pieces of the pie. I still wonder what the point of the spread releases was exactly....I suppose more money can be made this way....and maybe they just felt like they could squeeze out two bangers and gambled on the concept. But I wonder...if they had waited and combined the two into a double album? Wow. Imagine that.
Highlights: To Be For Real, Tear Trax, Running Wild, Everywhere |
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rym
