That Soul I Know
By
SPEAKS
I was first introduced to Empty Hand Records back in
December of 2025 when I reviewed Vincent Deconstructed by Uncle Mic Nitro,
courtesy of the label’s owner and producer, Speaks. Now, by that time Speaks
had already released his debut producer’s album titled Highrize Jamz. That
highly acclaimed album featured the likes of Uncle Mic Nitro, Krash Slaughta,
Wordsworth, Phill Most Chill and more. Now I have yet to hear that album, so
when Speaks asked if I would like to hear his new album, with a view to a
potential review, I jumped at the chance.
Now, life being what it is, I thought I would be unable to
review That Soul I Know when it dropped in September as an eviction forced
me to suspend things until now. However, due to a delay in distributors, the
album is now due to see its release on October 09th, just one short
week away, so now seems like the perfect time to bring you my take on what is
already being hailed as one of the year’s top albums.
That Soul I Know is a producer’s album, which means
all production is handled by Speaks. As with Highrize Jamz Speaks has
assembled a top line up of emcees to drop the goods over his beats. That line
up consists of Ced Gee (Ultramagnetic MCs), Outbreak, Phill Most Chill, Uncle
Mic Nitro, Different Damien, Simmer Soul (Rhyme Advocates - AUS), Supastition,
4-Ize, Fly Filty (AUS), Wordsworth, Habitat 617 (Heavy Links - UK), and Planet
Asia.
Now, with a line up like this and Speaks love of the classic
Boom Bap sound, this one has all the hallmarks of a contender of album of the
year. So, join me as I take you on a journey through That Soul I Know.
The opening to the first track, Second Album Syndrome,
grabs your attention as it how second albums can often fail to reach the hights
of the debut album and artist/producers have to constantly adapt to new hights
to keep things sounding fresh. This seeds a thought in your head as you listen.
Speaks and Outbreak then let the horns and voice of Ced Gee drop in before the
beat kicks off with some ferocious cuts. This sound gives you chills as you
immediately feel that this little intro is likely gonna be a prelude to
something banging; and so, the intention and expectation is set…
There is no time to second gues yourself here either before Make
It Good drops in with a feature from the legendary Phill Most Chill. The
intro to the track is all about the taking the music and getting a record deal.
The beat drops in with chilled funk vibe has the kinda sound that is infectious
and gets your body moving. PMC drops some slick lyricism that brings the icing
to the cake here.Its all about making things good, lifting you up and making
you feel good and this one does that with aplomb. Next up is Disco Scenes
which features Uncle Mic Nitro, Different Damien and Simmer Soul alongside
Speaks. The beat is heavy but with a dope soulful vibe keeping things laid back
and mellow. Mic Nitro keeps it laid back on vocals as he takes us all back to
the times we would all hit the discoes having a fun time while waiting for that
final song to kick in to see if we would be the lucky one to share that moment
with a special someone. This one is so mellow that you almost have to pause
things, just for a moment to let those memories float by, before returning to
the music…
Supastition and 4-Ize join Speaks for Raw Rap. Horns
and piano vibes take us into a heavy banging beat, that backs by those horns,
piano and bass notes, creates a Jazz Hop vibe that gets you bouncing. There are
more than a few name drops on this one as we get rewound and then fast
forwarded through some of the most notable artists and acts that have put their
stamp on the Hip Hop game. This is all about putting your own mark on things
and hitting it with the raw unflinching vocal styles that make the listener
stunned for just a second. Uncle Mic Nitro is back alongside Australia’s Fly
Filthy for Two Left Feet. Horns and organ notes back a proper banging
beat, getting you moving once again with a sound that has an uplifting feel to
it. This one is all about letting yourself feel the music, then allowing that
vibe to take over your body and dance. Its not about how you dance, or maybe it
is. Part of you feels its all about letting your body move to the music however
you see fit, but there is also another part of you, if you’re a true head
maybe, that can’t help but visualise the breakers moving to the beat and
showing of those incredible acrobatic moves, or maybe just poppin’ and lockin’.
I guess you just go where the beat takes you. Soul Goodz is a little
interlude from Speaks and drops with this incredible sound of drums, piano,
organ notes, bass and vocals. The result is this incredible soulful sound with
some almost etheric singing that just makes you stop for a couple of minutes.
This little instrumental moment just takes you wherever you want to go. Then,
you come back with that little spoken word outro to the track, still chilled,
still floating, but the album is now midway through and it time dip into the
second half…
If you have the vinyl, then you are probably flipping it
over right now and dropping the needle, and if you are listening to the
digital, then you are probably still floating. The Pivot sees the return
of Supastition and Speaks brings a heavy beat that is backed by this organ
sound that has you continuing to float while nodding you head and closing your
eyes. Supastition brings us lyrics that speak directly to the soul, so good
that your eyes are closed. The message in this one is that there are times you
just have to let go of things from your past. You might not want to let go, but
it will be for the best as you might realise these things can hold you back and
letting go will set you free. In the Summer sees Wordsworth joining
Speaks to drop vocals over a dope beat that has a laid-back feel with organ
notes that put you in mind of lazy summer days. That musical vibe mixes
perfectly with Wordsworth, whose words take over your mind, letting you
visualise every scene that her describes to you, helping you cast you mind back
to your own summer experiences along the way. This one will make you wish
summer would never end and the sun would always shine you, every day. With
those thoughts of summer still floating in your mind, the UK’s Habitat 617 step
up on Keep Your Distance. The summer vibes switch now as heavy piano
vibes, backed by a heavy drumbeat, guitars and cuts, take you to the
surprisingly sunny skies of the British skies. The heavy sound gets your head
nodding while Habitat’s lyricism hits hard, giving you a demonstration of what
he capable of should you give him the perfect beat to go off to. No particular
message here except to listen and enjoy a solid display of lyrical dexterity.
Uncle Mic Nitro returns for one last appearance on Kick
In The Door and here, he is on fine form as Speaks provides a boom bap
style beat for you and Mic Nitro to crazy on. Banging beats, heavy horns and
razor-sharp cuts get everyone hyped up and Mic Nitro lets his vocals unload
like a one-man army. Here every word and beat hits with the force of 500
Magnum. There is not getting away from the fact that no matter how much you
barricade it, Speaks and Mic Nitro are simply gonna kick the fucking door down.
At this stage you might be thinking, how do you follow that one? Well, you
bring in Planet Asia with the Middle Finger Flow, that’s how! Piano
vibes, heavy drums, cuts and more give you a sound that cools the energy and
gets your head nodding once more. In fact, you whole body gets moving as Planet
Asia takes the reigns and rocks the mic with the kind of lyrics that gets you
raising a middle finger to the sky with a broad smile on your face, enjoying
every finger flippin’ moment. Before you even realise it, we find ourselves at
the last track of the album. Outbreak features one last time alongside Speaks
for New Possibilities. The funk vibe really goes off big time on this
one as we are treated to one of those producer/DJ tracks that perfectly mixes
funky vibes with cuts galore. I love these kinda tracks as it mixes things up
and takes you back to the essence of the hip hop sound where the DJ would cut
up classic tracks, making it into one engaging track that kept you bouncing
from start finish, and it seems like the perfect way to round this one off by
reminding you that this is Hip Hop, and as much as you love everything that has
gone before, the seed that this all grew from was often just the DJ and two
turntables; and a microphone…
I gotta say, that was something. After a few weeks away, I
was not sure I could do this justice right now, and I’m not saying I have, but
this album grabbed my attention, opened my mind and allowed the words to flow.
I’m pretty sure that if I did this whole thing again tomorrow, I could write a
whole different review because everything here is the kind of music, that real
Hip Hop music that I have come to love. It makes me think that if Speaks Debut
is anything like this, I gotta hear it.
Now, I could leave it there really, that short paragraph
does seem to sum up this album perfectly. However, I’m not going to just sign
off like that. Not a chance, and please forgive me because I might say a few
things that might be a bit controversial in a moment…
There is something I really like about Producer Albums,
these are albums that are brought into being by one or two people, creating
beats and bringing in rapper or another artist to feature. Sometimes the beat
comes first and its all about finding the right artist and sometimes the
producer might have a particular artist in mind before creating the beat. I
guess that for me, it is the closest thing to real Hip Hop aside from a crew
that is made up of emcees and a DJ or DJs.
Now for the controversial bit. When I listen to an album
like That Soul I Know, I think about some albums I have heard where an artist
will bring in multiple producers, DJs, and guest emcees. Now while these are
still good Hip Hop albums, they almost feel like a compilation album or a kind
of showcase album, they do not always allow the individual to shine through. I
would like to see the individual to bring their talents to the forefront and
simplify things a little with less producers and features. I say that will all
the respect to those emcees. Here Speaks does just that, he keeps blueprint
simple across the album and that is the key thing that allows this to shine so
much.
Every track here is pure Hip Hop, the beats shine through
and you can feel the heart and soul in everyone. Speaks brings in just the
right emcees to compliment every beat he produces, allowing every track you
here to be individual in its own right, whilst also fitting so well as part of
the album. Everything flows so well with highs and more chilled moments that
keep you engaged through out in a way that does not leave you thinking that any
particular track shined brighter than another.
That Soul I Know does not suffer from any type of
second album syndrome, in fact, I think I builds on the hype of the debut
album. Speaks takes his love of Hip Hop Boom Bap music and gives it his own
spin. He adds a dash of this genre and that genre along the way and allows
those sounds and the Hip Hop vibes to compliment each other, in the same way as
the Emcees and Beats complement each other.
That Soul I Know is the perfect album to return to
Infinite Sounds UK after my little hiatus, it is a solid listen that not only
shows the quality of Speaks as a producer, but it shows that he is able to
create tracks that speak to the listener as well as just give them something
hot to listen too. Is this one of the albums of the year? Should you believe
the hype? Yes, it is, and yes, you should.
Before I go there is one last person I need to mention. As always Album's are a unique package and that includes the artwork and design that is the first thing you'll see when handling the vinyl and when you drop your pre-order. For That Soul I Know those props go to Camila Carmody.
My thanks to Speaks for allowing me to bring you my take on
this album, for what it said to me and helped me to express. Go pre-order your
copy now and get ready to go to the soul of that real Hip Hop sound.
See ya Next time,
Steve.
LINKS
Pre-Order Here:
https://emptyhandrecords.bandcamp.com/album/that-soul-i-know
Empty Hand Records Website:
Empty Hand Records Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/emptyhandrecords/
https://www.facebook.com/emptyhandrecords
https://www.youtube.com/@emptyhandrecords
VIDEOS
Kick The Door Down ft Uncle Mic Nitro
In The Summer ft Wordsworth
No comments:
Post a Comment