Album reviews

Gord Downie, Away Is Mine

(Arts & Crafts)

Released to coincide with the third anniversary of his untimely passing, the Hip frontman’s final musically creative hours, collected here in 10 songs recorded over three months in mid-2017, serve as a farewell to fans and friends from a person at peace with his impending transition to whatever lies beyond. It comes as no surprise that the man who once said courage “couldn’t come at a worse time” sounds as certain of himself on these recordings as he ever did. But Downie, in his poetic comfort zone, often seemed to draw purpose from the notion that acceptance of not knowing can be more powerful than a studious drive for perfect understanding. It’s what made him almost mythical in life and on stage. Here, it makes him as human as he’s ever sounded, and the inclusion of acoustic-only takes of all 10 tracks brings that humanity home. 8.5/10 Trial Track: “The Least Impossible” (Darcy MacDonald)

Black Thought, Streams of Thought Vol.3: Cane & Able (Human Re Sources)

After delays and a death in the Roots family with the passing of affiliate MC Malik B late this summer, the voice of the hardest working band in hip hop finally delivers on the promise of a third solo foray.

Buoyed by the single-producer format that helped centre previous instalments by 9th Wonder and Salaam Remi this time out beat vet Sean C handles the beats that Black Thought once again laces with game and gravitas. With the Roots, Thought is as integral as each instrument to the whole of a track and the sum of an album. Solo, he proves once again that his GOAT-level lyrics, delivery and presence stand out and stand on their own in an altogether different arena, doubling down the rep he’s boasted without interlude since at least ‘96 and his band’s sophomore. While a rare creative moment lulls here or there, Black Thought himself never wastes a word, a rhyme, or a breath, and guests from Killer Mike to Portugal, The Man help make volume three the strongest in the series so far. 8/10 Trial Track: “Nature of the Beast” (Darcy MacDonald)

Karyke, Haitian Dracula (LFTSO)

Kompa is neither exclusively nor singularly a Montreal sound, but the Haitian dance pop genre’s undeniable influence can be felt in the city’s collective hips, and thanks to local acts like Rosalvo and Karyke, there’s room for a youthful Montreal spin that’s uniquely ours.

The latter is a 24-year-old soft-spoken trilingual force, calmly and coolly gliding over woozy and wet productions with steady rhythms. And really, if you weren’t eating spicy pikliz this summer, what were you doing? 8/10 Trial Track: “Pikliz” (Erik Leijon)

Busta Rhymes, Extinction

Level Event 2: The Wrath of God

(EMPIRE)

Nearly a decade in the making, Busta Rhymes returns with a follow-up to his 1998 apocalyptic classic. Sequel albums with long gaps between them more often than not tend to fumble. However, the Brooklyn bred emcee absolutely sticks the landing with nothing but grace. Rhymes churns out tasteful nostalgia (the album’s intro was a leftover beat from the original E.L.E.), while also broadening his lyrical palette with some of his most vulnerable raps to date. If you are a Busta fan of any measure, this album is nothing short of satisfying. 7.5/10 Trial Track: «E.L.E. 2 Intro» (featuring Chris Rock, Rakim & Pete Rock) ( Mr. Wavvy)

Ty Dolla $ign, Featuring Ty Dolla $ign

(Atlantic)

A god of the guest spot, Ty Dolla $ign changed the name of his third album from Dream House to match his sublime stature. Previously, the California crooner’s projects always suffered from the same problem: He knew how to make hits but not a wellrounded body of work. Five years removed from his Free TC debut, the circle has been broken. With a little help from his friends (Kanye West, Big Sean, Skrillex, Post Malone and Nicki Minaj, to name a few), Dolla $ign delivers his strongest album. 8/10 Trial Track: «Ego Death» (featuring Kanye West, FKA Twigs and Skrillex) ( Mr. Wavvy)