Rob Dz knows his soul. He also knows his jazz, and to top it off he can rap pretty neatly too. On Soul Anthems, the new album from the The Rob Dz Experience, there is an intricate fusion of each of these genres into a well-rounded album that is part The Roots and part Barry White. Appearing almost larger than life as he is surrounded by children on the back cover of the album, Rob, originally from Beloit, Wis., does an excellent job changing styles from track to track. On one track a brass band makes an appearance, he takes us to church for some gospel on other tracks and on still others the focus is on his smooth flow.
Madison natives, The Rob Dz Experience are led by Rob Franklin a.k.a. Rob Dz along with his band, which includes Bobby Bryan on guitar, Bruce Alford on bass, Marcus Fleming and Toya Robinson on vocals and Rick Flowers playing keys. For such a staple of the local Madison hip-hop scene, the band is incredibly experienced. They have performed with such notable hip-hop icons as Twista, Talib Kweli, Bone Thugs and Harmony and Common. It is plain to see just how much Rob has learned from his experiences. Soul Anthems is well polished and a reflection of a recent movement, especially in underground hip-hop towards political and social consciousness. This is especially notable on tracks such as "Ghetto Dreams" with its angelic and soulful chorus and "Peace of Mind" where he asks, "did love get tossed out the window/ does anybody know/ where did all the trust go/ war's rising up mostly your building's falling/ all the signs point out the fact that God's calling."
Much of the beauty of Soul Anthems is the sheer diversity of sounds the band incorporates into their music. From one track to the next, the style of the music changes easily and flows together to create a rather unique sound. On "Don't Let It Sweat You" the band uses an electronica background and what could easily have been the lyrics to a '90s club dance track and slows them down, merging them into a mellowed out jam. Following this, Rob uses simple spoken words and a jazzy saxophone to transition to "Keep on Goin'," probably the best evidence of Rob Dz's rap abilities. Along with Big Tone, he brings out an old-school flow to match the melodic beat behind him. Unbelievably, Rob manages to add another layer of creativity on the following track, modifying Carl Carlton's "She's A Bad Mama Jama," with some heavy rock guitar and a more raw flow than anything on the rest of the album.
A large part of The Rob Dz Experience and the underground hip-hop scene in general involves staying away from the industry norms and mainstream attitudes of ultra materialism, negative perceptions of women, and advocacy of violence and crime. Dz and Co. instead choose to concentrate on a more positive and uplifting message. There is many a reference throughout the album to the band's spirituality, it is clear to see the influence of Rob Dz's faith on his music. It is fitting therefore that Rob Dz does not curse in his music. Along with much of the rest of the burgeoning Midwest hip-hop scene, which includes Minnesota rap group Atmosphere and their label Rhymesayers, Rob Dz rejects such a mainstream lifestyle. As he says on "Prison Barz," "these ghetto superstars seem to fade in the night/ that's why I say stay with me till you see the light." The Madison scene itself is becoming increasingly important to the overall underground hip-hop movement. With its own website madisonhiphop.com, which lists artists, promoters and venues, the Madison scene is growing into a Mecca of Midwest hip-hop, united under the slogan "One city, One love." From start to finish, Soul Anthems, the new album from The Rob Dz Experience, is polished, professional and wildly creative, holding it down for both Madison and the Midwest while remaining true to hip-hop's roots.
4 out of 5
