Strange Fruit Project

Big Daddy Kane is the headliner here, but make sure to show up on time for the local boys. "Soul Clap," from Strange Fruit Project's 2006 The Healing, is a perfect example of what the group does best. It marries funky brass (arranged by Denton funk-rockers Mingo Fishtrap) and jazz guitars to a handclap beat. The deceptively simple beat has "single" written all over it...except, unlike typical grain-and-grills-obsessed Southern hits, it starts with the proclamation, "I could care less about what you brothers be driving," and keeps up a positive vibe in the verses with shout-outs to independent, educated women. Producer/MC SymbolicOne (S1) created a true headphones album: a refreshing blend of strings, scratches, guitars and simple percussion with cool Rhodes electric pianos chilling out the interludes. Occasionally, beats and lyrics seemed mismatched. "Cali Cruisin'" (with guest locals Bavu Blakes and Deloach) is built on a foreboding piano bass line that sounds like a Death Row homage, yet clashes with sunny lyrics. (And why couldn't it have been "Texas Cruisin'"?) Club anthem "Good Times" has a minor-key acoustic guitar riff that belongs in a serious song. Maybe the melancholy instrumentation is supposed to illustrate some sad irony in the lyrics, like the fact that friends are "playing with them Glock toys." That's possible, as the album's lyrics are mostly positive without ignoring society's ills. But isn't that what Healing is all about?
Sat., Aug. 2, 2008