Dr. Syntax – “Let’s Talk” Prod. by Pete Cannon (Album Review)
This is the 7th studio LP from Manchester, England, United Kingdom emcee Dr. Syntax notable for co-fronting The Mouse Outfit. Making his solo debut in 2003 with Self Taught, he would go on top follow it up with 5 more full-lengths along with a mixtape & 3 extended plays. Personal favorites include the Pitch 92-produced Evidence as well as Killer Combo! & Elaborate Anoraks. The latter of 2 were both solely produced by Pete Cannon, who’s looking to go for a 3-peat with Let’s Talk.
“Nuggets” sets up shop with a boom bap intro explaining that he gets a kick outta what Pete can do behind the boards whereas “Pearls of Wisdom” throws it back to the days of the early 90s hip hop instrumentally spitting wise lyricism. “Baby Talk” explains that people will always have an animal instinct of sorts inside them no matter how older we get leading into “Lose My Shirt” treads the jazzy boom bap waters talking about trying to stay levelheaded.
Gardna pops out for “Sock It to ‘Em” combining a horn & some hi-hats encouraging people to find out why they need to be penalized just before “Limitless” embraces a summery sound stating the ridiculousness of people considering his music to lack any ambition. “Growing Pains” returns to the boom bap tackling the concept of aging until the title track properly reaches the midway point of Let’s Talk explaining that our lives could become much simpler if we all set ourselves free.
“My Living” featuring Illaman marks the final & strongest guest appearance of the 2 talking about how neither of them can slow down at this point while “Lies Upon Lies” dustily observes the difficulty of making sense of what you know when it’s all being spoonfed to you. “One of the Illest” spends a few minutes confidently talking about ranking amongst the greats over intense drumming while “Ice Cold” jazzily admitting to be at this age in his lifetime.
As for “Part of the Journey”, we get more jazz influences from the saxophones to the pianos getting in his grown man bag lyrically while “Come Around” gets optimistic when things aren’t necessarily going the way he hopes. “Love Thing” distinctly breaks down all the different types of love over a sample-woven boom bap instrumental but after the “Toxic Love” skit, “Just 1 More” spends the remaining 103 seconds of Let’s Talk talking about being the only one to call shots.
Killer Combo! to me was when Dr. Syntax began to deliver his strongest material individually which Evidence & Elaborate Anoraks further cemented, so I didn’t have any concerns regarding Let’s Talk although I’d think most who were divided towards The Tonic in 2016 will likely enjoy the successor more. Pete Cannon diversifying his production feels refreshing compared to the last couple albums, making more room for Syntax to lay out sharp bars.
Score: 8/10
