Hip hop today is in sad state. As with most genres, it has lost its innovation with mainstream success. However, there are some people who are still trying to push the music foward. The California duo Blackalicious offers up a plentiful mix of soulful grooves and mind-bending rhymes on its major label debut “Black Arrow.”

With 10 years under their belts, The Gift of Gab and Chief Xcel no longer feel they have to load their rhymes with tales of violence, bling bling, or life in the inner city, nor follow the formulaic method of crafting music.

Calling on old friends from Jurassic 5, such as Chali 2na and past collaborator Cut Chemist, Saul Williams, Rakaa and Babu of Dilated Peoples, and fellow Quannum crew like Lyrics Born, the two create a flowing soundscape that is able to cover a lot of ground.

At times, songs like “4000 Miles” seem as if they are channeling James Brown in his era of peak popularity; others, like the collaboration with Ben Harper on “Brain Washers,” are more sentimental, bringing back memories of Marvin Gaye.

Then there are the tracks meant to show The Gift of Gab’s lyrical versatility, like with “Chemical Calisthenics” featuring Cut Chemist, a sequel to the alliteration adventure of “A to G” on their last album.

Standout tracks include “First in Flight,” which features an R&B-feeling brass section and a hopeful message about the future, and “Release,” featuring a politically-charged spoken word/rap from Saul Williams.

Overall each song on the 16-track disc offers up a different taste and groove that will leave a bounce in your step and thoughts about what good hip hop should sound like.

– Josh Nelson

Attention all Metallica fans – do you need a new coaster? Would you pay $15 or more for that new coaster? If so, you might want to pick up Echobrain’s self-titled debut, which includes Jason Newsted, former bassist for Metallica. Trust me, this album won’t be in the CD player for long.

The album starts out with the weak “Colder World.” The song is devoid of inventive songwriting, catchy hooks, emotion . basically everything required for a good song. It sounds like a lame Fastball tune, only much worse. The next song, “The Feeling is Over,” is no better – it makes the listener wish their life was over. The song consists of one riff being beaten into the listener’s head over and over.

However, the album does have a bright spot with the third track, “Spoonfed.” The verse guitar sets a chunky, retro riff against singer/guitarist Dylan Donkin’s simple vocal melody. The chorus also demonstrates a capacity for slightly dissonant yet melodic vocals set against a pleasing chord progression. A few well placed bluesy solos also work quite well in the song.

But, the drudgery soon continues, with a blatant acoustic Alice In Chains rip-off in “Adrift.” The main guitar riff in “Suckerpunch” will make the even the most tone-deaf listener cringe, and when another Alice in Chains rip-off riff pops up immediately following, it only makes you want the real thing even more.

The last song on the album, “Cryin’ Shame,” is another ray of sunshine, with Newsted’s simple, driving bass riff complementing Donkin’s falsetto singing to near perfection. The song’s ultracool retro feel is complemented with a hint of Pink Floyd with Donkin’s laid back, flute-like guitar licks in the background. The song just flat out grooves and shows what Echobrain is capable of.

And they are so sneaky, too – they managed to fit a secret song at the end of “Cryin’ Shame.” However, maddeningly annoying secret tracks have already been done before – just listen to the latest Queens of the Stone Age album “Rated R” for a far more irritating secret song on a far cooler album.

Echobrain has potential. But it has a long way to go before the music is good for anything more than a place to rest your beverage of choice.

– Mike Britson