Album Review: Mulatto Patriot- Sonic Visuals

15 years ago view-show 667,854

sonic-articleWith the melting pot known as “Chicago Hip-Hop” comes another artist from the windy city trying to make a mark for himself in an already-overcrowded profession.

Some may not know the name Mulatto Patriot, but the MC/producer makes a decent first impression with his debut album, Sonic Visuals.

If you want to learn the new dance craze, update your ring tone list, or memorize a poppy hook—this may not be the album for you. But if you’re more intent on educating yourself on how the other half of Hip-Hop lives, then this project might be right up your alley.

Incorporating assistance from artists like Casual (of Hieroglyphics), Pumpkinhead (from Brooklyn Academy), and Rass Kass; the native of Chicago’s South Side who possesses a vocal tone reminiscent of Large Professor comes through on offerings like ‘Cadillac Vinyl,’ ‘International Connection,’ ‘Chicago River,’ and ‘Everybody’s Crazy,’ with the strongest record on the album being ‘The General.’

Using a voice sample of Casual from his 1993 classic ‘That’s How It Is,’ Mulatto Patriot uses horn breaks and guitar loops to conjure up more of a light-hearted feel on an album filled with mostly darker material. On the other side of the coin, MP does take a handful of missteps on songs like ‘Lethal Weapon,’ ‘They Don’t Know,’ and ‘Audio Terrorist.’

Mulatto Patriot’s Sonic Visuals certainly has its ups and downs, and when it’s down—it’s down with some songs not being able to distinguish themselves from your average recording, versus material coming from a professional musician. But looking at the situation from a “glass half full” perspective, this is still a solid foundation to build on when the time comes to release his second album, and by then, hopefully he would have worked out all the kinks.

Rating: 2.5

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