Beautiful Eulogy: An Ode to Normality [a review of Worthy]

By Ryan G

There is a fine line between hip hop, and poetry. With the beat as the backbone to the record, most hip hop tracks are able to dial into the melody and tell a story through song. Poetry on the other hand is a little bit more freeform. It takes true skill and talent to combine the two to the point of being indefinable. Beautiful Eulogy managed to do just that.

Their new album “Worthy” was actually my first experience with the group. My expectations were high seeing that they were coming from the Humble Beast label group. Anything short of excellence on their part would have been met with the harshest criticism I could muster. While the album was not as spectacular as maybe I was unfairly pushing it to be, it did have its highlights.

First and foremost, the introductory track Weight was extremely impressive. The word play within the poem was able to draw parallels to my expectations based on its title, as well as enchant me with its background. While I was impressed with the amount of thought that went into the word play, some of the rhyme schemes seemed a little hokey at best. Not to say that I was entirely disappointed though. This first track, while not flawless, was still a solid foundation for the rest of the album.

From a producer’s standpoint, all of the background tracks and effects matched the tone that each of the poems gave. What I was craving was more of a dynamic within the speaker’s voice. The monotone theme was almost laser like in the precision of word delivery, but grew to be a little bothersome after the fourth track. It must also be noted that this is simply my opinion. I enjoy hearing feeling in an artist’s voice. For me, their job is to convey the emotions of the piece in a way that I understand and can join them on. For some, a monotone voice, but good timing can do this. For me, this fell a little flat.

On the subject of timing though I was left impressed. What separates Beautiful Eulogy is their moderation in their delivery. They can cause suspense, apprehension, and excitement simply by their speed and meter. This is something that I am not sure that I have ever seen in any other artist to date. A quality this pronounced though should be complimented by something else. Speed is great for conveying urgency, but if that is the only resource an artist is working with, the two emotions that they will elicit from me will be the feeling of being rushed and calm. For this particular album, that could work, however it does get rather repetitive.

My favorite track on the project entitled “If…” is a great example of both what this album excels in and what it lacks. The speaker imagines of a time where he will be able to sing for joy in a savior. The delivery is spot on, and the hook underneath is perfectly placed. The issue is that there is no excitement in these words. Without it the track is not nearly as powerful as it could be if those words were matched with some type of feeling behind it. In an abstract kid of way, I can imagine the artist hoping that the listener would be able to project those feelings themselves, I however cannot.

Lyrically this was a strong release. I mentioned before that the word play and flow were impeccable. Some of the literary devices used in this project (Especially the alliteration and repetition aspect) really complimented the author’s intention of desire in tracks like “Sovereign” and “Slain”. Whether that repetition be musical or vocal in nation it helped get the point across. What I would caution against here is the exact strength that pulled me in at the beginning of the record. I thoroughly enjoyed “Slain” as a track, however this was the one part of the album that I felt was almost a little too fast. As I am trying to digest the message of the track, I was unable to dwell on it because of the speed of delivery. This could have been done for a few reasons, the first is to provide some dynamic. To create a difference in tracks. In approaching that challenge this way however, the group easily lost me in the cascade of words and my brain fuzzed over trying to keep up with the vocalist. This challenge can be better addressed by using emotion and speaking for a place of feeling rather than measured contemplation.

In conclusion, “Worthy” was a solid release. The production of each track was spot on and the lyrical development was far more advanced than I was expecting. The delivery has left the group room to grow, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Despite some of my reservations I would still pick up this album for a few reasons. My preference in delivery is just that, a preference. It does not take away from the message they are trying to get across. It simply means that you may have to pay more attentions. Who knows, you may completely disagree with me. You can’t know until you check it out for yourself.

You can check out the album for free at HumbleBeast.com

-Egypt Ali

There is a fine line between hip hop, and poetry. With the beat as the backbone to the record, most hip hop tracks are able to dial into the melody and tell a story through song. Poetry on the other hand is a little bit more freeform. It takes true skill and talent to combine the two to the point of being indefinable. Beautiful Eulogy managed to do just that.

Their new album “Worthy” was actually my first experience with the group. My expectations were high seeing that they were coming from the Humble Beast label group. Anything short of excellence on their part would have been met with the harshest criticism I could muster. While the album was not as spectacular as maybe I was unfairly pushing it to be, it did have its highlights.

First and foremost, the introductory track Weight was extremely impressive. The word play within the poem was able to draw parallels to my expectations based on its title, as well as enchant me with its background. While I was impressed with the amount of thought that went into the word play, some of the rhyme schemes seemed a little hokey at best. Not to say that I was entirely disappointed though. This first track, while not flawless, was still a solid foundation for the rest of the album.

From a producer’s standpoint, all of the background tracks and effects matched the tone that each of the poems gave. What I was craving was more a dynamic within the speaker’s voice. The monotone theme was almost laser like in the precision of word delivery, but grew to be a little bothersome after the fourth track. It must also be noted that this is simply my opinion. I enjoy hearing feeling in an artist’s voice. For me, their job is to convey the emotions of the piece in a way that I understand and can join them on. For some, a monotone voice, but good timing can do this. For me, this fell a little flat.

On the subject of timing though I was left impressed. What separates Beautiful Eulogy is their moderation in their delivery. They can cause suspense, apprehension, and excitement simply by their speed and meter. This is something that I am not sure that I have ever seen in any other artist to date. A quality this pronounced though should be complimented by something else. Speed is great for conveying urgency, but if that is the only resource an artist is working with, the two emotions that they will elicit from me will be the feeling of being rushed and calm. For this particular album, that could work, however it does get rather repetitive.

My favorite track on the project entitled “If…” is a great example of both what this album excels in and what it lacks. The speaker imagines of a time where he will be able to sing for joy in a savior. The delivery is spot on, and the hook underneath is perfectly placed. The issue is that there is no excitement in these words. Without it the track is not nearly as powerful as it could be if those words were matched with some type of feeling behind it. In an abstract kid of way, I can imagine the artist hoping that the listener would be able to project those feelings themselves, I however cannot.

Lyrically this was a strong release. I mentioned before that the word play and flow were impeccable. Some of the literary devices used in this project (Especially the alliteration and repetition aspect) really complimented the author’s intention of desire in tracks like “Sovereign” and “Slain”. Whether that repetition be musical or vocal in nation it helped get the point across. What I would caution against here is the exact strength that pulled me in at the beginning of the record. I thoroughly enjoyed “Slain” as a track, however this was the one part of the album that I felt was almost a little too fast. As I am trying to digest the message of the track, I was unable to dwell on it because of the speed of delivery. This could have been done for a few reasons, the first is to provide some dynamic. To create a difference in tracks. In approaching that challenge this way however, the group easily lost me in the cascade of words and my brain fuzzed over trying to keep up with the vocalist. This challenge can be better addressed by using emotion and speaking for a place of feeling rather than measured contemplation.

In conclusion, “Worthy” was a solid release. The production of each track was spot on and the lyrical development was far more advanced than I was expecting. The delivery has left the group room to grow, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Despite some of my reservations I would still pick up this album for a few reasons. My preference in delivery is just that, a preference. It does not take away from the message they are trying to get across. It simply means that you may have to pay more attentions. Who knows, you may completely disagree with me. You can’t know until you check it out for yourself.

-Egypt Ali

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