January 2003

"Natural Progession" by Innate

About a month ago we were presented with this album, "Natural Progression" by Innate, which was a first for us. Of course, this being a free CD we wanted to do our best to give it a good review. Fortunately for us, we didn't have to risk our "integrity" to do so, for this is a tremendous album. Especially for a the first effort that it is.

First, let's being by saying that Innate creates the kind of serious hip-hop we like to hear. This isn't some crappy rap album about Kristal and Italian sports cars or whatever. This is a very soulful and groove-filled album.

The first thing one notices about "Natural Progression" is that it is incredibly subdued. But, of course, that's not to imply that it is at all boring. Because it's not. Parts of this album, like "The March Twards Freedom," are a bit too sparse for my taste, but on the whole Innate displays a kind of restraint that allows the music great gravity. For an example of what I'm talking about, think of Marvin Gaye mixed with Greyboy. And I don't throw the name "Marvin Gaye" around casually. The man is a saint. But "Grassroots" begs the comparison, at least in terms of style.

In fact, in terms of vibe, that's a fairly apt comparison. The feel of this album is basically straight soul with the added bonus of rhymes. The vocal style is a mix of slow rapping, low soulful singing, and to a lesser degree, slam-style poetry. That diction doesn't always work to my ear, but hear it does, for the most part. Mainly because it is very well matched to the music.

As far as the music goes, it's very simplistic. This is probably the selling point of the album for me. Simple in that what you hear, for the most part, is a beat with either a guitar or an organ playing along. All in the best tradition of soul. It complements Innate's voice extremely well.

In addition to the heavy influence of soul, "Natural Progression" lays out hits of old rock-steady raggae and the occasional latin twist.

One of the high points of "Natural Progression" is "Fascination," which exemplifies all of what I've mentioned here. There is a very organic beat, a slow latin one at that, along with an organ. Innate's vocals keep a quick cadence in contrast to the slow groove, varying tempo to serve as a lead instrument in addition to the role of providing just lyrical content. It works perfectly.

In addition to "Natural Progression" being a great album, we are ecstatic to discover that there is quality hip-hop coming out of DC. If there was much of a local hip-hop scene, I would say that Innate would stand out. But as it is, I guess he'll just have be satisfied with being peerless by default.