For My Mother

This first solo album of Big Cats (of the hip-hop duo The Tribe & Big Cats) is dedicated to his mother as a kind of self-described “eulogy”. That melancholy pervades this album to varying degrees, especially in the sax line off the opening track “One”, but its definitely not a downer – the tracks filter that mood through cool, catchy beats with the occasional distorted female vocal. There are tons of jazz and classical influences mixed in with a more standard hip-hop sound, making this album an interesting genre experiment. His blending is particularly effective in Two, Seven and Eight, recommended.
FCC Clean
1. One – Low-key beat, jazz piano, distorted sax line between verses, atmospheric vocals, minor
2. Two** – Layered, tinkling/bell synth lines, uplifting lyrics, seems like continuation of first song on a more positive note
3. Three – Harder, percussion heavy beat, filtered/distorted vocal blends, oriental flute solo halfway through, repetitive piano melody throughout
4. Four – Jazz trumpet carries melody, switches to female vocal, electronic bloops and driving bass line
5. Five – Classical instrumentation, violin and lush piano, transitions to sustained electronic chords and synth
6. Six – Jazz piano duet with guitar, sax melody, female vocal fades in and out over synth and bass foundation
7. Seven** – Dramatic strings, shuffle beat, cleaner, more exposed percussion, synth interludes, Halloween feel
8. Eight*** – More rock feel, crunchy, metallic synth melody, aggressive female vocals with cello harmony, epic, fades out
9. Nine – Short, low key interlude, atmospheric, diffuse piano
10. Ten – Piano runs, sax solo halfway, uplifting, big ending