Raw Soul – Still High…

Raw Soul – Still High… – Album Review

Awesome to hear the man back in action and performing at the high level we know he’s capable of.

It’s been about a year and a half since we last had Raw Soul spittin’ rhymes on these pages of ours, but in the grand scheme of things, that’s still relatively quick to get a whole new set together.  Gotta strike while the iron’s hot, as they say – and with the opening tongue twister that starts up his latest record, you’ll definitely hear the sound of a man inspired to bring his A-game directly to ya this year.  The main hook of “Run Free” is really what’ll get you listening to this album – it’s the gateway in and the first thing you’ll hear as you start up Still High….  It’s one of those massive lines that will immediately impress you with the combination of rhythm and precision it takes to do what Raw Soul does so well, and then on your subsequent spins, you’ll be able to slowly unravel his words until you finally catch onto everything he’s saying.  The beat’s a little bit crunchy & encroaching on that red-line territory from what I can hear, but some folks like it that way.  Other than that, I love the music that accompanies him…smart muted piano, solid bass threaded in gently…the percussion & beat is probably the most dominant aspect, and I still dig what I hear in the ideas there too, even if I would wonder every once in a while as I listened to this record over the past week if bringing that part of the music down a bit & put the rest up would have potentially been beneficial to the whole track overall.  In any event, don’t go mistaking observations for complaints – those are two totally different things and I’ve got one but not the other when it comes to what I’m hearing on “Run Free” – this is an undeniably strong start – Raw Soul’s got fresh juice for ya.

As I’ll tell you from time to time on these pages of ours, every record has its own rhythm, pulse, and set of priorities.  If you’re to judge anything from the start of an album like this, you can hear that Raw Soul certainly kept a close eye on the quality of the hooks he was writing.  Not only did he make sure they landed, he’s got them featured at the center of the spotlight for both of the first two tracks so that those hooks are the very first thing you notice.  Not a bad strategy of course…hooks are meant to hook you in, that’s exactly why they’re called what they are.  “Still High” confirms the man’s vocal precision is completely on-point…the energy is there, the confidence in the material leads to bold delivery, and the preparation he’s put in allows Raw Soul to get that extra ounce of personality into his bars as he spits.  The songs are short and the reliance on the hooks is heavy…but ultimately, I can see the formula at work and think the approach will prove to be effective here.  There’s just something about the way Raw Soul does what he does on the mic that becomes practically trance-inducing.  I think our brains recognize quickly that we’re probably not going to be able to keep up with him on the first couple spins, so in a way, they shut off trying to discern every word at the start and just groove along with him.  There’s time in the future to dissect his bars and you’ll get that much more outta his material when you get there, but don’t stress if at the beginning it almost seems overwhelming trying to untangle the words he’s weaving together.  In short spans, there’s less space to hide of course.  Do I love the way that the music seems to tick up a couple notches in volume for only a couple seconds around the 1:35-1:40 mark?  I do not!  I’m just not sure I hear the purpose in doing that, and it feels more like an oversight than something that was intentional…on the bright side, it’s really not a major factor in the overall results, which are stellar.

If you don’t agree with the sentiment of “In Need (Of Healing)” or feel like you can relate to it…that’d be amazing to me.  Raw Soul brings a highly relatable cut to your speakers with this third track on Still High…, and it feels like he’s really onto something here.  Switching up his approach entirely from what we’ve heard so far was a good move.  “In Need (Of Healing)” dials back the speed of his rhymes & adds a more hypnotic vibe to the sound, which pairs well with a track that’s designed and intended to provide you with a much more contemplative moment for you all to think about as you listen.  Who isn’t “In Need (Of Healing)” right now?  No…seriously…I want to know – hit me up if that’s you.  Cause the rest of us down here on Earth are struggling daily yo!  What’s the right way to assess this track overall y’all…what do I really want to tell ya?  I think that it’s probably fair to say there are hooks in the first two tracks that are arguably more exciting and/or accessible…but I’d probably tell ya that this third track is the one that shows the most professional control and balance to it.  I think there is the occasional line here and there that Raw Soul might make harder on himself than it needs to be with his metering and such, but at the end of the day, he’s getting to his spots, shooting his shots, and scoring solid victories.  Sometimes you’ll hear him approach a line & you’ll wonder how he’s gonna make it work or make it fit, and in the next moment you’re nodding your head as you realize he pulled it off.  Stylistically gliding along the bars while bringing the real weight to his lyricism along the way…this is quality material here.

Trading in a bit of that speed you heard at the start of the record for more space in the third and fourth tracks was the right move, in my opinion.  Don’t get it twisted – I’m still not making complaints here – I enjoyed the first two tracks and I dig’em all over again with each loop of the record…but I do think that the cuts with the extra space has made the songs sound even bigger & more impactful as they play.  If you didn’t feel the same way, I’d get where you’re coming from.  Energy and speed has its own degree of allure to it too, and if that’s your jam, you’ll probably feel like the first two tracks were right where you wanted Raw Soul to be.  I’m cool with that too…we’re all bound to hear what naturally stands out to us as individuals.  I think the slower pace of tracks like “In Need (Of Healing)” and “Skyscrapers” has added more clarity, which is crucial for lyrically-based records, which most Hip-Hop/Rap records are – but even in Raw Soul’s own individual performances, you can hear a higher level of intention that seems to directly correspond with him spitting more of his truth for ya.  As in, the more personal the song is, or the closer the theme he’s working with is to the man behind the mic, the more purposeful he sounds in the process – because he’s not just entertaining you with Still High… – he’s spitting wisdom you can learn from too.  Aside from diving deep into that all-too-similar terrain of a human being ‘flying’ – which is something I encounter in every genre, every second day, I like everything I hear in this track.  Even that familiar theme at least makes a whole lot more sense in the context Raw Soul has it framed within on “Skyscrapers,” which makes the subject have significant meaning instead of the superficial content you usually find when rappers are merely looking for a word that’ll rhyme and not saying what they truly want to say by including their flying references.  What Raw Soul has here on “Skyscrapers” actually fits.

“I’m drawing deep from within my soul’s well,” he’ll tell ya on “Perseverance.”  Lest we forget, Raw Soul is working from the angle of the Conscious Hip-Hop realm, so expect to be thinking a little while you’re bumping these tunes.  While you’ll find the material is pretty much always based on his own personal experiences & point of view, lyrically, he’s crafted his words to be applicable to many people listening as well.  He’s found impressive ways to make things relatable, even in some extraordinary circumstances you might not expect.  Like, on “Perseverance” for example, there’s probably more of a faith-based connotation to his lyrics to be found here, yet I’d still consider this to be relatable, even for folks like me that are well outside the circle of religion.  He’s accomplishing that through smart lyricism that has a bit of built-in malleability to it…it’s still direct enough to not be totally ambiguous, but at the same time, I didn’t find anything overly preachy in ways that would turn anybody off either.  Raw Soul is simply happy to go about putting his truth into the mic, take it or leave it, no pressure – you feel me?  You can hear the message, but it doesn’t sound desperate or pandering.  It’s more like a welcoming invitation to anyone out there that wants to discuss the merits of religion, and I respect that.  Of course, there are always multiple dimensions to Raw Soul’s lyricism too, so that helps as well…no song is really about one specific thing alone – he’s always working in other clever, thought-provoking concepts into his lyricism.

I think I’d be comfortable saying that “I’m Going (Letting Go)” is one of the most supreme gems you’ll find on this record, if not one of the best cuts I’ve heard in Hip-Hop this year.  Again, not to harp on the point, but whereas the opening of Still High… is flashier and more energetic, it’s been the lower-key vibes of the tracks in the mid-section of this album that have made the most resounding impact, in my opinion.  Raw Soul has the advantage of naturally possessing one of those voices that has an interesting texture to it…like, you feel like you want to hear what the guy is going to say next, all the time.  “I’m Going (Letting Go)” is a cut that proves the man is continually practicing gratitude as the path forward in life.  He claims the song itself is “dual sided in nature” – to which I’d tell you I agree with to an extent, because like I said earlier on, you’ll rarely if ever find a Raw Soul song to be about one single thing – but I would also tell you that the final thoughts he lays down the mic are meant to be what you remember most.  It’s a method/approach that’s been long proven from speeches to musical content and more – I mean, heck, that’s what a FINALE is supposed to be, right?  That’s where the moral of the story becomes clearer than it was…where motivations become illuminated…where we understand what the purpose of everything we experienced along the way was leading towards.  So when you reach that point of “I’m Going (Letting Go),” trust me, you’ll know.  In that sense, you have to wonder if anything is really ever of a “dual sided” design when everything concisely leads direct to the conclusion you were expecting it to.  And I haven’t said it nearly enough as I’ve been listening so I’ll say it now – the music all throughout this whole record has been freakin’ magnificent.  Jazzy, smooth, soulful…it’s relentlessly inviting to listen to.

If you were somehow worried about the main star of the show, have no fear – he’s on the right path, and as “On My Way” will confirm, he knows it.  Experience matters.  Preparation matters.  Desire and drive – these things matter.  When you combine all the good stuff together, you reach a point that leads to consistent creativity.  You’ll always know when the game slows down for an artist or band and they begin to thrive on a whole different level than they have before.  Everything smooths out, the attention to detail seems to require less effort, and great results are damn near guaranteed…it’s the sound of an artist in their prime when it comes right down to it.  While I’m sure I’d still tell you that Raw Soul has even more in him and likely his best years still ahead, don’t mistake that for anything other than confidence the man has earned with his audience.  Artists like Raw Soul are built to exceed expectations, and just when you think you’ve heard him at his best, the odds are that he’ll level-up all over again and do something new that you’d never see coming.  “On My Way” confirms his intentions and his goals – he’s seeking greatness, and that’s pretty much all you can ever ask of the artists that you give so much of your precious time to.  It’s the most valuable resource we have as people, so to hear someone like Raw Soul be so aware of that, and continually striving to make every moment worth the time you spend, is genuinely refreshing.  The chilled-out atmosphere of “On My Way” is fantastic, and hearing Raw Soul so focused from bar to bar as he explains the mission he’s on makes it even better when you realize he’s delivering on it at the very same time.  He’s got the kind of attitude & perspective that deserves success.

C’mon y’all…the MUSIC has been so enticing from the very moment you first started listening to Still High… and it hasn’t let up since.  I love what I’m hearing on “Lenses” – it’s definitely some of my favorite music on the whole record.  To be truthful, it probably had me feeling like Raw Soul’s vocals could likely come down a notch or two in the mix to make the songs sound even bigger than they are…I don’t think it would affect how much we hear him because he spits with such noticeable clarity & confidence at all times.  The benefits would simply be a bigger sound & ensuring that no one out there misses how great the music is…because you really don’t want that getting lost on listeners out there.  It can be tough to accomplish that when you’re stringing together a metric ton of syllables like Raw Soul does on “Lenses,” but when you hear how brilliant the music is underneath his words, you know where I’m coming from.  This track is right up there too though, at least on my list…believe me when I tell ya once again, I’m just making observations and not complaints – “Lenses” is definitely amongst the record’s best cuts.  When Raw Soul gets everything completely nailed down as tight as tight can be, I feel like it’s something we’ve always been able to hear.  There ain’t a thing about “Lenses” I’d dare to change.  Love the strength in his vocals, love the music, love the story he crafts in his lyrics, love the way he has his words moving with such impressive fluidity & melody combined…this highly crafted cut that highlights the man at his best.

“Decade in this bitch, all for the love of it.”  Cheers to another decade ahead Raw Soul.  While others out there are still trying to catch a ride, this dude’s BEEN RIDIN’ for some time now – and it sounds like it.  He’s got a veteran’s approach to the m-i-c now, and his experience is always evident in the way he moves.  Do I like that he takes a brief moment at the end of his album to make a political statement?  No – I fucking LOVE IT.  Obviously it helps that I completely agree with what the man has to say, but again, in the context of what we were talking about earlier on in terms of what makes a finale standout and be memorable…Raw Soul confirms he’s methodical & thoughtful, and nothing you’ll hear is a fluke of any kind.  “To Whom It May Concern” could very well be the best track on the record if you ask me…I could easily make an argument that that’s the case from the beat to the production to the words and the main message Raw Soul is beaming out into the world through your speakers at the end of his new album.  I’ll let you be the final judge and jury on that, but suffice it to say, it’s another track that fully deserves to be talked about in the same breath as the best you’ll hear on Still High….  He mentions how we’re nearing the end of the world…and hell, we don’t know that he’s wrong now do we?  Sure feels like doom out there every time you get brave enough to look at the headlines again…but if that’s the case, how should you handle that?  From my perspective, you handle it like Raw Soul has chosen to…you put it all out there and say it with your whole damn chest…because none of us are guaranteed a tomorrow, only the today that we’re still breathing in.  Don’t leave anything on the table…don’t leave us wondering what you might have thought about this or that, or ponder over what you could have done with your time – take a page outta Raw Soul’s playbook and leave your stamp on this bitch in your own way like no one else can.

Find out more about Raw Soul from his official page at Instagram here:  https://www.instagram.com/rdotsoul

Ya ha!  This link right here is the key to being the next artist or band featured here at sleepingbagstudios, so instead of just ignoring it, click it instead!