CRAC Knuckles don’t care what you think. The group, whose
name is pronounced “crass knuckles,” seems to pride themselves on
being largely unclassifiable. They make their music for themselves, not for
critics or to meet certain expectations of genre or talent. The group is
composed of deft California emcee Blu, hip-hop’s rookie of the year in 2007,
and Ta’Raach, an underground rapper and producer who hails from Detroit. CRAC
is an acronym for “Collect Respect Anna Check,” apparently their goal
for this project. Although their debut album, The Piece Talks, may not get Blu
and Ta’Raach big dollars, it delivers a refreshing and creative sound worthy of
repeat listens.

The first non-intro track of The Piece Talks is “Buy Me
Lunch,” a poppy, rap-free medley that somehow manages to blend neo-soul
and jazz at a high tempo. “Love Don’t” is a groovy track on which
Ta’Raach and Blu both drop nice verses over an echoing guitar loop. The next
song, “Major Way,” is an arrogant track demanding all haters to pay
regards to CRAC Knuckles. These first three songs also accentuate Ta’Raach’s
mixed bag of tricks on production. He handles all the beat-making on The Piece
Talks and brings his own original flavor to the music on the album.

“CRACHAUSE” is the first forgettable song of
album. Fit more for an interview than an LP, this song features Ta’Raach
blandly sermonizing over a repetitive beat for over three minutes. Thankfully,
that low point of the album is followed up by some of the best songs of The
Piece Talks. On “Respect” and “Pop Dem Boyz,” Blu once
again proves himself as a lyrical virtuoso. “Mr. Big Fizz” has a
minimalist beat and is an ode to the mainstream rappers who front like they’re
rich, but really aren’t.

The biggest drawback of the The Piece Talks is a lack of polish.
Most of the good songs on the album clock in too short, leaving room for
unnecessary filler, such as the aforementioned “CRACHAUSE” and
“Credits,” another spoken-word track thanking those whose
contributions are usually reserved for the liner notes. Additionally, “Umm
Yeah” is a dispensable minute of straight silence, and “Ready”
is a pointless seven-minute phone conversation saved only by a nice hidden
track to close out the album.

However, the album flourishes when CRAC Knuckles stay true
to themselves. Ta’Raach isn’t necessarily a bad emcee, yet it is Blu who steals
the show, at least lyrically. Consistently spitting jaw-dropping verses
characteristic of some of the best rappers today, Blu has true star caliber.
But not to be outdone, Ta’Raach sounds confidently relaxed production-wise,
refusing to allow any two songs to sound alike. CRAC Knuckles display no
pressure to conform to norms, and consequently they created a formidable indie
hip-hop release in The Piece Talks.

?

3 1/2 stars out of 5