Little Brother proved that not only one of NCAA’s most successful College teams come out of North Carolina. Debuting with The Listening, Phonte and Pooh's light yet tight lyricism backed by 9th wonders Fruit Loops made this album an underground hit. After hitting us with one of 2003’s premier albums Phonte teamed up for the Foreign Exchange project last year, releasing the terrific Connected. While Phonte was grabbing the spotlight, Pooh was busy quietly working on his debut album, Sleepers. Will he continue little Brother's success on route to building a legacy? Or maybe the biggest question is “Why has this album not been given the attention of Foreign Exchange” It’s been out for a minute, yet no reviews?
Wake up epinions...
1. Wake Up
2. I Don't Care 3 Stars
3. Strongest Man 4.5 Stars
4. Heart of the City 5 Stars
5. Every Block 4.5 Stars
6. Just Friends 3.5 Stars
7. Live Life 5 Stars
8. My Mind 5 Stars
9. Dash's Interlude 3 Stars
10. Scars 5 stars
11. Between the lines 4 Stars
12. Jungle 5 Stars
13. Now 5 Stars
14. Fever 5 Stars
I Don't care starts the album off on a solid, yet somewhat disappointing note. The bouncy club production is solid, as is Pooh's performance yet something is missing. The premier track is not very attention grabbing, and does not justify a repeat. The album switches up from now on, with a typical soul instrumental. 9th wonder handles the majority of the production and although it really differs, each Fruity loop tune is smooth and a perfect backdrop for Pooh and the guests. Speaking of guests, we got Phonte re-uniting with his little brother for Every Block. Phonte and Pooh kick off typical feel-good lyricism, holding it down for every block.
Big Pooh's Justice league crew joins for spectacular Scars, and Live life. The uplifting Scars showcases the hustle of rapping resulting in Scars yet the love for the art is still there. All three Emcee's styles connect perfectly, with tremendous chemistry on a big Brother career highlight. Live Life is an introspective ballad, focusing on living life to the fullest. It may not be an original topic, yet is very deep and enjoyable. O Dash is featured on both tracks, and I’m feeling this new Emcee. He comes correct on each of his 3 performances with stage presence from his smooth voice to his clever, witty poetry.
Now featuring Murs is my personal favorite cut on the album. Pooh drops 2 clever verses full of humor, yet it is Murs who destroys this track. His verse is about studio gangstas, is full of honest humor and is down right stunning. I can't wait for Murs third album. I'm not a fan of quotes but Murs verse is a exception: "You as soft as the porn they show on uncut, I wanted to F*ck every single last one of you up, but pig pooh told me to chill and the label called me up, saying you would sue because your to timid, and it wouldn't be good for my backpacker image"
The uplifting production on Strongest Man is an uplifting backdrop for Pooh's typical A-Tribe-Called-Quest lyricism but Pooh expands himself on more then a few occasions. On Heart of the city, Pooh gives some street lyricism about everyone in North Carolina. He may not be Nasty Nas or Cormega but his lyricism about the urban community is a nice change. It gets better with Jungle, easily Pooh's best performance on this album. He gives three in depth tales of people living life in the jungle. The second tale about a single mother, in an abusive relationship is particularly touching. I can visualize the underlining message of these tragedies quite easily.
Between the lines is a typical little brother cut: soul sample plus lyricism about a relationship. My Mind is the exact opposite. O Dash returns from his highlight lyricism on Scars, the brother who "paints more visual pictures then Antwone Fisher" completes Pooh for another standout track. I really want to hear more from him O Dash because his chemistry with Big Pooh could make him the triplet brother along with Phonte and Pooh for vocals. They both literally speak what's on their mind, giving insight once more. Just listen to the track for yourself, to understand the 5 star rating.
It's a rarity for this album to falter but the Freestyle of Dash's interlude, and the cliché just Friends. The 3-second intro holds no significance, and seems to be there to add one more track to give a rounded 14 overall “songs”. These tracks are somewhat filler yet very listenable allowing this album to rebound with cuts like Fever. Over some atmospheric, gothic production Pooh has "become the cure for hip hop" This track ends the nice streak of cuts at the end of this album, washing down the hiccups at the start of the album.
Big Pooh's Sleepers is another little brother treasure. This album also features him expanding on an artistic level, touching on a variety of traffics. The R&B singers and talented Emcee's helps this LP on many levels. My only problem with this album is the recognizable Little Brother formula. Only a merely 2 cuts, have production that does not fall under a simple loop and a soul sample. 9th Wonders production is still first-rate but after already receiving 2 albums under this formula, it would be nice for some creativity behind the boards. He is capable of changing up his routine as we say with Murs latest release. This minor fault is easily forgivable for all the intangible positive aspects of this album. Big Pooh may not be " The World's greatest, I know if puts a dagger in your heart for your child to say this" but if his stunning debut is a sign of what is too come, he will have a long, flourishing career ahead.
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![Sleepers [PA] * by Big Pooh](http://di1.shopping.com/images1/pi/40/6e/c1/2005252575-177x150-0-0.jpg)
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