Call it anything but
Pilot Talk II, and Currensy’s second effort of 2010 is just straight-up solid, but put this sequel up against the original Pilot Talk -- released just five months previously -- and the nitpicking begins. Some tracks -- the few that barely cross the two-minute mark -- feel like loose ideas or interludes; plus, the overall feel of the album is so blunted, it’s almost a mood piece, designed to provide cerebral hip-hop stoners their perfect soundtrack. That’s not enough to sway the haters, but fans wouldn’t mind if the underground and alternative rap star got ever more fragmented and narrow, and with the smart and innovative
Ski Beatz handling the bulk of the production once again, they certainly won’t mind
Pilot Talk II. Spacy dreams of flight like the opening “Airborne Aquarium” alternate with more traditional numbers like the street single “Michael Knight,” which is packed with meaningful verses and a memorable chorus. “Fashionably Late” comes with a brilliant, yet subtle,
Souls of Mischief reference, and as far as features, the
Wu-Tang’s
Raekwon is strong on the “Michael Knight” remix while
Young Roddy threatens to steal the show during “Flight Briefing.” Highly desirable for Currensy fans who like his material at its most loose and free, just don’t start here. ~ David Jeffries