- Artist
- RJD2
- Label
- XL
- Release date
- 5th March 2007
- Genre
- Pop
It's a strangely alluring thing, the pop format. Its parameters may be rigid - verse, chorus, verse, catchy melody, three minutes and that's your lot - but it can ensnare even your most leftfield musicians. Consequently, such artists are often the ones who, by dint of their past weird and wonderful musical explorations, create the most exciting and original pop music, sprinkling it with the sparkle of their earlier work: think The Flaming Lips and their woozy, post-psychedelic pop lunacy, Outkast and their hip-hop based, space funk pop grooves, even Happy Mondays and their melding of early house and post-punk to melodic pop anarchy.
The latest, unexpected convert is Philadelphia based, hip-hop producer RJD2. Previous albums Deadringer and Since We Last Spoke showcased RJ's technical wizardry through a collection of instrumental, sample-based symphonic and atmospheric epics that created a buzz way beyond the underground hip hop heads. But for this third release - his first since signing to XL - RJ has ditched the sampler, picked up his live instruments and, most startlingly, started singing pop songs. It's a route similar to that of Jamie Lidell and Matthew Herbert, but the sound most resembles fellow hip hop head Money Mark's Push The Button album.
As you'd expect, The Third Hand sounds gorgeous production-wise. Rich and complex, RJ cannot help but create the tightest and crispest of beats and bottom end. Electronic piano and organ sounds drive the melodies throughout, lending something of a Seventies prog thread that brings to mind Phoenix and Air on their 10,000 Hz Legend album. As for RJ's voice, it's somewhat forgettable but he's clever enough to create much needed warmth via layered tones and harmonies. And the song's themselves aren't bad at all. You Never Had It So Good, Reality and Sweet Piece all stand out, encompassing funky rhythms, ever-interesting chord changes and almost a sense of soul in the vocals that recalls the likes of Junior Boys or Zoot Woman.
However, RJD2 is not quite the producer/songwriter/all-rounder à la Brian Wilson or Stevie Wonder that he perhaps aspires to be. A number of tracks do sound transitionary - not quite pop songs, not quite hip hop grooves - meaning The Third Hand can at times sound confused and aimless. Better melodies and perhaps a dancier edge might help. But for now, this is a promising, and without doubt bold move, that will hopefully bear fruit next time around.
