After participating in several albums and making a name for himself on the streets by releasing a couple of singles, Jorge "Kurious" Alvarez signs with Columbia through the label of Bobbito Garcia and Pete Nice, former member of the 3rd Bass who has discovered him in the early nineties.
Alvarez is a Harlem native MC, of Puerto Rican and Cuban origins, who chooses the moniker Kurious Jorge, in reference to the cartoon monkey. Recorded over the course of a year between 1992 and 1993, the album is produced by Beatnuts and SD50's, along with Bosco Money, Pete Nice and DJ Richie Rich, while guests include Psycho Les, Casual and The Grimm Reaper (MF Grimm).
Kurious Jorge performs simple lyrics and topics with good vocabulary and a pleasantly relaxed, lively, energetic, youthful and fresh rap. He flows easily over an excellent, cohesive and solid production, composed mostly of fantastic jazzy samples and slow, pounding drums. The album compensates for disappointing commercial results with a spectacular retrospective reception from fans and critics: like many albums revalued by the retrospective, this one gets more credit for not being adequately appreciated at the time of release than for its own worth.
His debut isn't surprising if not for the coherence and musical solidity, devoid of weak moments even in the appreciable lyricism, remaining linked to his friends KMD, with a tribute to his exchange with Zev Love X (aka MF DOOM) in the choice of the title, and a dedication to Subroc in "Leave Ya' With This". The MC reaches his peak in the untouchable "I'm Kurious", where Daddy Rich and Prime Minister Pete Nice make one of their best productions ever: jazzy soundscape with midtempo drum and stunning samples from Blackbyrds' "Mysterious Vibes", Kurious delivers with a fresh, smoothness, dope style. Hidden gem of the golden age, recommended for fans of the East Coast boom bap.
Rating: 8/10.
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