5 out of 5

Label: Fill in the Breaks

Produced by: Ecid

The first concept album that I’ve liked without coercion from another review…?

Concept discs, in general, do not appeal to me.  In various forms of media – books, movies, music – I feel like when you start pursuing something removed from the material (e.g. a concept), you run the possible risk of being distracted by that goal, which is ironic, given that it should seem to add focus.  And it does, but often by sacrificing direct interest the moment, I – a hopeful, active participant – sense you struggling for your shiny objective.  I become disenchanted: why am I here if the creator wants me to be over there?

This doesn’t suggest I want all my media to be face value; definitely not.  I just think you can pursue a concept without telling me you’re pursuing a concept, dig?  And that’s what I mean about coercion: I might sense my own disinterest in some “revolutionary” project, then read something from someone smarter than me explaining the ten-part operatic structure about death guiding things, and maybe I come ’round to appreciate whatever it is.

Ecid’s shtick, early in his career and on through his latest release, is willfully ADD: beats are these amazing mishmashes of ideas; his lyrics are spiraling rambles of awesome imagery and nonsense; his emotions bounce from playful to deathly seriousness within a verse.  And it often produces great rap albums, and wildly different-from-each-other ones.  When I first put on Red Beretta – even when I listened to it a few times – it seemed like Ecid’s most uninspired disc.  His production felt too restrained, and the tone seemed comparatively dry against his remaining catalogue.  My ears heard an average album.

Then, as it happens, something just sort of clicked: I heard some really skillfully subtle work in that restraint; I started to hear Red Beretta’s story.

The concept would seem to take us through the life of a criminal – Red Beretta – from being raised up through criminal exploits, borne into this eponymous title.  Or not; maybe it’s autobiographical; maybe it’s Ecid just observing street life.  Whether or not the concept exists doesn’t change the effectiveness and downright focus of the tales Ecid tells, building up to the vicious title track at album’s end, shuffling through the thousand cuts that lead us off the narrative beaten path on the tracks preceding.

The production is less glitchy than elsewhere, but that’s because Ecid stays true to his theme and tone, keeping our heads down, keeping us on the ground.  There’s a very old school vibe snaked into these songs: crackling samples; boom box beats.  And the way Ecid strings it all together, and litters it with an amazing amount of nuance, is a testament to how he’s been able to successfully produce such a wide variety of artists in addition to his own material.

It’s not Ecid’s most catchy release.  There might not even be a single here.  But Red Beretta is a powerful experience, masterfully pieced together, and an album that works hard to earn its place in your rotation, no hype man or detailed backstory prerequisite.