Debut album of the PM Dawn group, made up of three guys from New Jersey, Attrel Cordes (Prince Be), Jarrett Cordes (DJ Minutemix) and Gregory Carr (Doc. G). It's registered in London and published by Gee Street Records.
The production chosen by Minutemix is fluid R&B, inspired by different genres including the Beatles and dully pop, he creates light and pretty boring rhythms for an album labeled "hip-hop" (there are a couple decent), they're a bit too much weak. Prince Be's lyricism, on the other hand, completely breaks through the hip-hop conventions of the time: while the genre is embracing the gangsta rap, going towards a more violent direction, the rapper chooses the completely opposite path, that of calm peace-n-love, full vision of floral landscapes of De La Soul with a psychedelic mood and bringing out a decent lyricism that presents pseudo-reflective, meditative, metaphysical and spiritual themes that are instead lame attempts to make corny philosophy for dummies.
Critically acclaimed LP, it's an international commercial success also thanks to its single driving force "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss", even praised by critics. Without skits, the entire effort challenges the hip-hop conventions of the period, placing an important stake as a cheeky rap-hippie document, soft rap-new age, is extravagant and coherent in his softcore rap, with a spoken delivery of Prince Be on dream hop beats and pop R&B hooks: the performer is a generic MC who cannot rap, is better at singing than rapping, the songs of this effort are a mixture of socio-conscious, ballads ("Set Adrift on Memory Bliss", "Paper Doll"), danceable rhythms, funky casual and songs for the club (the hip house "Shake", "Comatose"), this soup of pop R&B and drum machines is one of the best rap dance efforts of the time, an entirely crossover pop record at its worst, it doesn't represent, it doesn't keep it real, every hip-hop fan should stay away from this stuff.
As Hip-Hop Album: 4/10.
As R&B Album: 7/10.
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