BRAHIM! Band: BRAHIM!

BRAHIM! Band's debut album BRAHIM! is an eclectic blend of jazz fusion, rhythm and blues, and hip-hop influenced rhyming schemes. The melodies that flow through this record stand out as a beautiful fusion compositions that borrows from several different genres of music.

The opening track, "Indescribable Feeling," starts with a slow build that grows into an insane cacophony of drumming by Matt Bent and Eric Metzgar. The intense drumming slowly fades into a pocket to lete tenor saxophone Luke Norris show through and blend with the vocal melody provided by singer Abe Nouri. The vocals slide back to allow a rapping verse from the group's second vocalist, Gary Lamaar.

"Jerry," a highlight on the on the album, takes the release to the next level in terms of complexity and creativity, providing progressive nodes to what BRAHIM! Band have already established as their sound. There are hints of King Crimson and Yes in the instrumental work, but the highlight of the track is the turntable work by Gary Lamaar. The scratching created by the turntable in an interesting choice and a big risk for a jazz record, but it absolutely works for BRAHIM!

"Lonely Side" could easily have been a Pink Floyd song on some of their more ambient releases. Nouri croons over the atmospheric melody beautifully and makes the song stand out on the record. The next track, "An Agreed Upon Evil," changes pace with a foot-stomping drum beat and a rap delivered in more of a spoken-word manner that drives the song firward. The track is reminiscent of A Tribe Called Quest in its jazz and hip-hop fusion. While this is BRAHIM! Band's first record, it is a strong effort that stands out as a unique release. They took several risks incorporating hip-hop elements and they made each risk turn out in their favor.