Wednesday, January 28, 2009

801. Genius/GZA - Liquid Swords (1995)

















Track Listing

1. Liquid Swords
2. Duel Of The Iron Mic
3. Living In The World Today
4. Gold
5. Cold World
6. Labels
7. 4th Chamber
8. Shadowboxin'
9. Hell's Wind Staff / Killah Hills 10304
10. Investigative Reports
11. Swordsman
12. I Gotcha Back
13. Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth

Review

This is the album that finally fulfils the promise of Wu-Tang's Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Genius/GZA mixes the cinematic quality of the sound and the use of samples, this time mainly from Shogun Assassin, with great lyrics and just some really good tunes.

Of all the solo albums by members of the Wu-Tang, like Method Man or Raekwon this is the one which is most balanced and most interesting. Every little track has something that makes you want to listen to it closer.

The beat here is very deliberately laid-back, the whole thing goes through in a narcotic haze. G-Funk this ain't. The sampling is almost hypnotic with the beats lulling you while still being very interesting. The production is equally excellent.

Track Highlights

1. I Gotcha Back
2. Liquid Swords
3. Living In The World Today
4. Swordsman

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia


From Wikipedia:

The album is also known for its distinctive cover, designed by DC-Milestone Comics chief artist Denys Cowan who was commissioned by GZA's personal manager Geoffrey L. Garfield, an avid comic book fan under the auspices of GZA Grafx, a subsidiary company of GZA Entertainment owned by Genius and Garfield. The concept of the chessboard with its sword-wielding warriors was conceived by Genius, an avid chess player. The Genius version of the Wu-Tang Clan logo, the "G" using the logo iconography, was rendered by Wu-Tang Clan DJ Mathematics.

Liquid Swords:


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