People Under The Stairs - Stepfather
Label: Basement Records
Grade: B-
Highlight: Pass The 40
Overview: Double K and Thes One told us to stay tuned, and the result was their fifth album, “Stepfather.” When you think of the PUTS duo, you expect that progressive west-coast style filled with jazzy samples, danceable beats, back and forth rhymes, mixed with laid back humor. PUTS do not disappoint, as they deliver their share of barbecue anthems for ’06 including Step In, Pumpin’ and Flex Off. You can imagine yourself driving in L.A., top down, chrome spinnin’ and what not. This album is not exactly the sequel to “Or Stay Tuned… ,“ in the sense that it’s more introspective than their last release. On tracks like Days Like This and Reflections, Thes One and Double K talk about their upbringings, their families and their take on today’s society. So what’s not to like? Well, the album is a long 20 tracks! As light-hearted and creative as PUTS can be, after 12 tracks or so it’s hard to differentiate form one song to the next. There just isn’t enough variation in the beats and vocals to warrant roughly 80 minutes of listening pleasure. It may be a personal bias, but I much prefer a 12-14 track album, with no skits, no excessive talking, no shout out track, no voicemail messages, no cameo voice drops, etc. Thankfully, “Stepfather” keeps the music going the entire time, but if you want to make a memorable album, you have to highlight the exceptional and limit the mediocre.
