Alert 312 - Of Vice and Virtue

Alert's Red Opus 45 was the record that got me into Humble Beast records and it is one of my favorite hip-hop albums released in the last couple of years. Red Opus 45 was a lush, full sounding, band effort. It was something fresh in the hip-hop scene. And I've been eagerly awaiting the band's full-legnth follow-up.

Of Vice and Virtue is a little disappointing. It's also great. But I'll get to that.

Where Red Opus 45 was a lush hip-hop soundscape, Of Vice and Virtue is scaled back. What I loved musically about Red Opus 45 isn't on Of Vice and Virtue. Not even close to it. So my first listen was disappointing. I had to set the record aside for a couple days and come back to it with fresh ears and not wanting to hear more of what Alert did on Red Opus 45.

What you find on Of Vice and Virtue is a strong lyrical atack. In simplifying the soundscape, Alert draws your attention to the lyrics. Vice Versa doesn't smack you in the face right away but the song builds and flows. The hook is catchy and the verses are blazing. The Villain vs The Virtue reminds me a lot of Mars Ill, which is totally cool. Caesar's hook is on point and powerful. "I've seen the Caesar's rise and Caesar's fall. There's only one God."

Kill The Elephants is my favorite track on the record. A killer guitar riff intro before busting into another catchy hook and strong groove. Damn is a great satirical track. The lyrics might be offensive to some but the point of the song is that we don't know God like we think we do and that God's judgement is real. It's an excellent track.

Of Vice and Virtue is a wildly original hip-hop album. While the fullness and lushness of Red Opus 45 is gone, the makes up for it in creative drum patterns and strong lyrics. Alert remains one of my favorite hip-hop acts.

You can download Of Vice and Virtue for free at http://humblebeast.com/downloads/