Salt – Omertà

Salt – Omertà – EP Review

I’ve had to listen to stuff in much crazier ways in the past I suppose…

Today’s EP review on hip-hop/rap-artist Salt has been created more as a sampling of the ghostwriting he’s attempting to take on and break into. So…much like my own solo-project as Aixelsyd – Salt hasn’t written a damn thing here aside from the lyrics and happily stolen the rest of the music surrounding to practice and refine his own skills. It can be a real help in developing a multi-faceted sound…who knows…maybe over these five ‘new’ tracks, maybe Salt starts rocking at some point or takes things in operatic directions. Point being, we’ll see the level of diversity in song-writing that’s supposed to be on display according to the writing on Salt’s Omertà EP.

I mean…the first thing I’ll point out again is that these are ghost-writing samples! Meaning, when you hear the massive disconnect between the passion on the mic and the passion in the words themselves on the opening track “A Rotten Soul,” that it’s allowed to feel like they came from two completely separate people. And that’s a good thing! Salt’s rap itself is fairly unconvincing in the sense that you couldn’t possibly believe that he’s lived any of the scenarios he’s rapping about…there’s simply no connection to that lifestyle other than the one imagined in his mind. I’d be shocked to find this guy living anywhere other than the suburbs to be completely honest!

But that allows for Salt to write things fictionally and let the flow speak for itself, which I suppose is what people would be purchasing from his ghost-writing career along with the lyrics themselves. Metering-wise, Salt rhymes on time pretty much all the way throughout…a few truly minor slips…but again, assuming that someone else is purchasing these words and rhymes from him, chances are there’s a few changes to be had when it comes to adjusting these songs back & forth.

And I suppose that’s the real key. I don’t think it so much matters if we particularly believe these experiences are real per-say as we dig into the flow, metering, lyrics and rhymes of what he’s put down, and so too would it be for anyone looking to purloin these tunes. Will they appeal to someone? Yep – someone out there for sure is going to treat them like gold – particular the last two tracks “To My Son, Speakin’ From The Grave” and “Bread For The Mockbird” where Salt is at his most passionate himself. These two tracks are definitely working in favour of displaying his lyrical talents the most…but I’d still assume that it’s going to be extremely tough to sell rhymes without an actual beat to go with it. Sure, someone’s going to be able to go out and match tempos…but if they don’t end up as somewhat of a copy of the instrumental music driving the music they’re going to be pretty lucky; it’s got a real chance of fitting in jagged to anything assembled slightly different. So really…I’m not sure that this EP does much more than showcase a writer of whom you might like to collaborate and create with. Yeah…let’s look at it from that angle…

There are big, successful hooks in both the lyrics and flow of songs like “Rest In Grief” and “Winds Of Destruction,” that will certainly work for someone out there I’d assume. Based largely in the dark, dank melodies you’d find in the back-alleys after the bars close, these thugged-out lyrics could definitely appeal to a massive audience of aspiring G’s out there that don’t quite know how to describe the life & times they experience.

And whether or not he’s experienced all of the subjects in these songs himself doesn’t really matter, Salt has found a way to manage writing about them all successfully. With vibrant descriptions and a real grip on storytelling, Salt pursues these rhymes with clearly precise & pronounced word-flow that allows you to get into these tales and also get a real clear idea of the style & sound you’d be looking to deliver these rhymes in. Overall…I think it’s probably still a pretty tough grind to do the whole ghostwriting thing in this style and successfully translate that into dollar-stacks, but I could be completely wrong. Salt’s displayed enough skill to convince me he could be making mad-stacks of cash over there…but I think at the very least, putting yourself out there in this kind of way could potentially lead to some incredible, new collaborations with artists all over the globe. That’s what you call a ‘good’ risk in life.

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