If you can’t get Rage Against the Machine to make any more albums, then getting Boots Riley from The Coup to team up with Tom Morello is a pretty good alternative conceptually. The Coup has long been putting out some of the best hip-hop albums out there since 1993, yet has never really seemed to sell as many albums as they should have. Think of Aquemini/Stankonia era Outkast with more of a social consciousness and that’s The Coup. One would think that partnering Riley with Morello would be a good fit for a more modern version of RATM.
The self-titled album has a few good tracks, but sadly it really misses the mark. It seems that at times the two are trying to be something they aren’t rather than trying to do what comes naturally together. For someone that generally puts out pretty strong lyrics, Boots often seems to be trying to write rock songs rather than putting his usual style over different music. On some tracks you can hear the solid verses we expect from him (see “The Squeeze” for example), but some of them almost seem to mock what people not familiar with rock music think it sounds like, most notably on the chorus’s. This is especially surprising with the style of The Coup, who seem to really use various types of samples and styles for their music extremely well. On the other hand Morello generally gives us exactly what you expect from him, songs that sound like Rage songs that were never made and don’t really adjust for the change in vocalist. The quality of the rhythm section found in his earlier bands is missing as well.
Needless to say, Street Sweeper Social Club conceptually was a good idea for these two versatile artists, but really doesn’t click the way one would hope. For you Rage Against the Machine fans, this isn’t the second coming. For fans of The Coup, hopefully there will be another album out soon. And if you haven’t heard The Coup, I can’t recommend them enough. If you feel what Boots Riley is doing here, and even if you don’t, do check them out if you like hip-hop.
Kevin Kozel-MuzikReviews.com Staff
July 21, 2009
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