POEMS
Blooming Sounds (Hip-Hop Is Music)
[3 Stars ]
Poems (formerly Sharlock Poems) of rap mainstay L.A. Symphony, known for his distinctive baritone and metaphor-heavy style, has become a hotly sought after guest MC on a variety of other artists’ projects. Returning the favor, some of those artists have offered the boost in music and production Poems needed for Blooming Sounds to surpass his uneven solo debut, The Love Movement.
Throughout Sounds, Poems draws endlessly from his faith, his difficult youth, his social conscious and his staunch passion for artistry. While mainstream hip-hop originality and sales have dipped, Blooming Sounds offers the kind of creative metaphor play and shifting sonic textures (light jazz guitars, operatic soprano vocals, old-school boom bap) that epitomize a banner year in the evolution of Christian rap.
