Brassy – Gettin Wise
2003
Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassy_%28band%29
All I could find on Brassy was a Wikipedia page. That’s it. Even the Wiki page is scant. “Brassy is a band. They did two albums. They have musicians.” That about sums it up.
The lead singer is Muffin Spencer, who is the sister of Jon Spencer, from The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.
Essentially Brassy is to hip hop as Jon Spencer is to blues; an energetic interpretation. There are cuts and beats and loops but at the forefront of the music is Muffin’s distorted vocals and heavy guitar. I say “distorted” vocals because they really are laden with distorting effects, which gives Gettin Wise an undeniable character.
If you don’t like one song of Brassy’s, it’s likely you wont like any of them. The lead vocals remind me of Princess Superstar, whilst the actual music is somewhat reminiscent of Beck.
I find the album very easy to listen to. The beats aren’t pumping fast, but still are very solid. The tunes are good, the flow is good, the vibe is good.
I won’t say it’s a “go-to” album, because there is the danger of it becoming repetetive (some songs drag out a bit and go nowhere), but I have no real complaints with it.
Standout tracks are Hit ‘Em Hard, Still Stealing, Dus’, Turn This Thing Up and Play Some D.
7.5/10
