Mid-Life Crisis
By
Reckless
Reckless sent me this album and asked if I would listen to
it with headphones and in one sitting, no breaks. Doing this would enable me to
get the real feel of what this album was all about. Now, initially, I have to
say I was a little skeptical about this but, I did as asked and the outcome of
that was, I did it again to make the notes for what you are about to read.
It was somewhat of a challenge to write while listening and
thinking but, I’m sure you will enjoy the read and what I have to say about it
afterward.
Imagine, just for a second, that you have hit the mid-point
of your life and that you could leave your body and take a look back at life to
that point, well the vibe of Cognitive Dissonance makes it feel like you
are doing just that. King Arthurs production creates this dark but, thoughtful
with an almost dreamy element before these brooding 80’s style synths come it
and create this mind bending feeling you are separating from your body. Just as
you are getting into this strange feeling the instantly recognizable voice of
Madchild from Swollen Members grabs your attention to remind you that this is
Nottingham’s finest Reckless you’re listening to and this is his story. Now
you’re focused in the right direction a deep string vibe again has your awareness.
Then the calming voice of Breana Marin steel your attention over a deep beat
with a trap feel (production by Dreamlife), then the voice of Reckless drops in
and we are treated to a retrospective on just who is this man, Reckless.
Now we know who he it’s time to take a look back at his life
and what its like hitting that Mid-Life Crisis. The title track,
produced by Dreamlife, is more upbeat with some nice horns which, coupled with
the soulful voice of Greg Blackman, create this mood lifting moment as we are
treated to the highlights and transformative aspects of life. With our mood
lifted we are again treated to the beautiful voice of Breana Marin who takes us
into Adored. The track, produced by Dreamlife, has that trap vibe with a
heavy beat over a more calming almost electronic element. The track is all
about reaching for your dreams and the desire to make them a true reality.
There are ups and downs along the way but, that desire to make it happen and to
be respected is powerful and will ultimately win out if you stay focused. Time
for that head nod Hip Hop vibe with One The Record, which features Nay
Loco, Ty Healy with cuts by Jabbathakut and production by Dreamlife. The golden
era feel of this almost gives you chills, giving us an insight into the love of
good vinyl. There is nothing like dropping the needle on the record, turning
the volume up and drifting off into your favourite tracks in way like no other,
vinyl is a spiritual experience.
I Wish, produced by Blizzard, has a more soulful vibe
that is deepened by the vocals of CW Jones but, still keeping it boom bap. We
all have wishes as we move through the challenges of life. Some of those wishes
are easy to reach and some are not so easy. But it’s all about staying focused
on those wishes, hopes and dreams and not worrying about the journey
in-between. Dreamlife’s production on Do Right takes us back to that
trap vibe. Reckless is joined by Mandato to look at the decisions we ponder in
day-to-day life. There are so many times when we struggle to know what is right
and wrong and there are those times when we know we are doing wrong, we know it
but, it makes us feel us good. It’s all part of our story that makes us who we
are. Heavy bass with a more laid-back feel
is the basis for This Time Next Year, produced by Dreamlife and
featuring Idranix, this one is all about living in the moment. The more we do
this and focus on right here, right now, we won’t have to worry about the
future because this time next year we will already know this shit, that or no
one will even give it a second thought. If we think about day-to-day life, you
see many faces as you walk but, You Don’t Know The Struggle people go
through behind those faces and that struggle is real. This track, produced by
Dreamlife, maintains that laid-back feel and sees Scorzayzee and Oliver Rees
join Reckless for a look at how people deal with there struggles in life and
how we so often don’t know, don’t see or can’t comprehend the struggles behind
those faces.
Some nice guitar vibes and a soulful vibe, with vocals from
Isiah Rashad, provide the perfect background for Thank You, produced by
Dreamlife, this one is an unapologetic and heartfelt message to that one
special person in your life, the one who is always there no matter the
situation. The comic intro to Not All Heroes Wear Capes sets up a
chilled vibe which looks at those people who are in your life who do amazing
things at the right times. It could be a small gesture, or a huge offer and it
can come from a friend, brother, mother, father, sister, brother, or child,
they are all heroes in some way.
There are times in life when you might need a little help to
feel good and on All Four Seasons, we walk alongside Reckless as he
takes us through various stoned experiences. The track is laid-back, as you’d
expect, with production from Dreamlife and a feature from 1st Blood.
From laid-back to a drum heavy piano vibe, produced by Dreamlife, with Briana
Marin on the chorus. Here Reckless looks at how being you means, so often,
wanting to do things My Way. Sometimes these situations work and
sometimes not and your relationships can end up falling apart, you just have to
remember it’s all about balance. The album rounds off on an important note.
With a laid-back But, still body moving production from Dreamlife and an almost
posse cut feel, Louis Cypher, Birdie Mack, and AJ Wyles join Reckless to drop
something deep. The last eighteen months have been rough for us, some more than
others and with all these us and downs it has become so apparent that we need
to reach out. There are many ways people cope with the struggles of life but,
the most important thing, as the song says, is to Talk.
It has been a pleasure to listen to something that is an
immersive, highly personal, and emotive experience. I could literally feel the
emotion oozing from this as I listened. There is a definite value in
experiencing this album in one go, start to finish, with your headphones on. It
does add a slightly deeper experience to whole thing, and I would encourage
anyone to do this. Because the album flows perfectly across the vibes, beats
and styles of music and the subject matter throughout is likely to make you sit
back and look at your own life, especially if you are or have already moved
into the second half of your life. But this is not just for the older heads out
there because the vibes here will appeal to a fairly wide audience and will
give them something to ponder as they go through life, there are some important
messages here.
Mid-Life Crisis is probably the perfect shadow to the
previous album, A Product of my Environment (2019) which was far more
light-hearted and at times tongue-in-cheek look at life growing up. Now we see
him as he stands at the mid-point of his life, reflecting and musing over what
has gone before and the lessons learnt. We see him tackle subjects like mental
health, relationships and other personal subjects that might be one person’s story
but, there are things here many of us can relate to.
Reckless shows a maturity in his verbal expression that
really draws you in and he also displays different flow styles to match the
musical styles and is a credit to his style of rap. The production here creates
exactly the right tone for the messages that Reckless put across. Producer
Dreamlife especially shows a diverse range of musical expression and does a
great job on this album. The guest artists all fit perfectly where they feature
adding that extra element when needed and it was good to hear the legendary
figure of Scorzayzee here.
There is no set release for Mid-Life Crisis at this time So, you only have my word for how good it is and I hope that is enough for you. But, I for one would like to see it out there and getting the respect it so
definitely deserves.
Huge thanks to Reckless for giving me the chance to review
this and for bearing with me as I move through some difficult times before
getting this one out.
On that note,
I’m Out.
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