Mint Condition - E-Life
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CD Details
Artist: Mint ConditionBrand: MINT CONDITION
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2008-05-06
Music Label: Image Entertainment
Soundtracks:
- Baby Boy Baby Girl
- Somethin'
- Just Can't Believe
- Goldigger
- Gratitude
- Nothing Left To Say
- Right Here
- E-Life
- Why Do We Try
- Back and Forth
- Moan
- Queen of Come Here Go Away
- Wish I Could Love You (Pimp Juice)
- Baby Boy Baby Girl
Music reviews of E-Life
Music Review: Standard Fare With a Mint Flair
Rating: 3 Stars
In the interests of full disclosure, I am a dedicated Mint fan (a FOOM, if you will). I also raked this album over the coals in my first review. However, after taking a few months away from this album and listening to "E-Life" again with fresh ears and cleared of the bitterness of dashed expectations, I decided to revisit this review.
THE QUICK & DIRTY:
Mint Condition's latest release "E-Life" is a noble attempt at remaining current in form and substance, while still retaining the elements that made the band a favorite for many live-music lovers.
THE LOW DOWN:
With the amateurish packaging aside (a "concept" that fails miserably and insults my design sensibilities), the listener can concentrate on the music constructions of "E-Life".
When the moments are good, they're very good; vintage Mint: a plethora of mid- to slow-tempo grooves, memorable hooks, honest lyrics, top-notch production and vocal stylings (Baby Boy, Baby Girl; Just Can't Believe; Gratitude; Nothing Left to Say; Back and Forth; Moan). But when these same moments go bad, they are very bad: the electronic ramblings of "E-Life", the profanity-peppered "Something"; the experimental and painfully anti-climactic "Why Do We Try"; the lyrically trite "Goldigger" (although the musical breakdown at 3:40 is amazing, it is not a saving grace); the repetitive and monotonous "Wish I Could Love You."
It is no coincidence that the songs that fall hardest feature bassist Ricky Kinchen's lead vocals. He is merely capable as a vocalist, the ideal background singer. When paired (or contrasted with, for that matter) the powerhouse vocals of a living R&B legend like lead singer Stokely Williams', Kinchen's flaws, limitations and shortcomings are blatantly (and painfully) obvious. Really, if Stokely would have taken the lead on said songs, they could be taken up a notch or two, and the album as a whole would benefit. But Kinchen's apparent desire to steal a slice of the limelight is a major faux pas.
Lyrically, there are major miscues throughout: the aforementioned "Something" (check the chorus); "Just Can't Believe" (where Stokely croons in his unique falsetto "plucked from a sea of lonely fish"); the entirety of "Goldigger" and one unforgivable line in "Queen of Come Here Go Away" ("is it turkey sausage or real bacon/are you real or are you fakin'") which ruins an epic, understated masterpiece. Now, it is up to the listener to decide for him or herself whether these are lyrics that can be lived with, but this reviewer was left with a bitter aftertaste in the above instances, and repeated listening has not cleared my palette.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
"E-Life" is a mediocre entry into the catalog of Mint Condition. Dedicated fans will find moments throughout that aurally please. New listeners may be turned off by this effort ("Definition of a Band" being the proper introduction to Mint Condition). Overall, it's a project with about six or seven repeat-worthy tracks to groove to, though slowly.
Description of E-Life
No Description Available.Genre: Soul/R&B
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 6-MAY-2008
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