The Advocate Brigade – “No Escape”

The Advocate Brigade – “No Escape” – Single Review

After more than two years of having The Advocate Brigade safely tucked into our special reports section where things are far less critical around here, believe it or not, this is the first time I’ve actually been tasked with reviewing the music.  I always salute those that are willing to take the plunge – let’s do this.

So…look…I’ll start out by saying, I’ve always felt like I understand where The Advocate Brigade is coming from…at least to an extent.  There is a plethora of real shitty things happening all over the world, seemingly at all times, every hour of every day…and of course that’d be nice if that changed.  TK, aka T.Kristopher Smith, of The Advocate Brigade, aka TAB, has been on a mission to make things better for longer than I’ve been listening to the music for, and of course I respect that.  I’m a firm believer we can all do a little something to make this floating rock we call home a better place than it has been, and I salute anyone out there that is doing their level best to improve things in whatever ways that they can.  Is there a single answer that’ll get us to these brighter days we’re all hoping for?  That’s where I’m sure TK and I would differ in what we’d say in response.  I don’t wanna speak for the man, but I’m reasonably sure he’d tell you the answer is faith or God or Jesus – something along those lines, whereas I’d tell you it’s a whole lot of hard work that’s needed, full stop.  TK’s a devout Christian, and I have nothing to do with religion aside from the fact that I was raised in the faith-based community back when I was a kid.

Essentially, we’re looking at many issues and things he brings up in the new TAB single “No Escape” from a similar angle – we’d just have totally different solutions to the problems he’s rapping about.  And that’s okay!  You see how easy that is?  We don’t have to agree on everything in order to agree on the need to achieve progress and a healthy dose of change within society.  In fact, there are many things I don’t agree with when it comes to how TK views the world…but again, that’s not threatening to me…I welcome debate and voices that have all kinds of things to say that offer different viewpoints than my own.  If theories hold water and can withstand debate & scrutiny, then there’s never anything to worry about, right?  Bring it all out from the darkness and into the daylight…talk…discuss…debate – just don’t go sitting on the sidelines expecting things to change if you haven’t put in any effort to help BE the change.  For what it’s worth, I respect that TK has dedicated so much of his life and time to making the world a better place for one & all – it doesn’t matter to me whatsoever how he came to that conclusion.  What’s important to me, is that he’s on a sincere mission to make something positive out of his time here on Earth – that matters to me, and it should matter to you too.  There’s an overlapping of our Venn diagram in there somewhere…a place where we can join forces in an effort to reach our true potential, no matter what we believe.  Essentially, it might feel like there’s “No Escape” from the trappings of our surroundings and this valley of malls we’ve built to keep us amused, but perhaps if we work together, we can find a way out of many of the perils we’ve become all too accustomed to dealing with daily.  “No Escape” has the reliably steady conviction in the tone of TK’s voice…his beliefs and faith, are unshakable.

It might be fair to say that he’s got a much clearer picture of how he thinks we can fix the planet, as in by turning ourselves over to God, we could theoretically fix most things…from his perspective.  In his gritty, street-wise style, he makes his case on “No Escape” and lays out his point of view as clear as day.  Again, there’s a lot of content in a song like this…I have no problem at all saying I agree with much of what he’s spittin’ into the mic, while at the same time recognizing there’s a lot that I don’t agree with as well.  What’s important, song-wise, is that we as listeners can hear that HE believes what he’s rapping about…that’s the conviction I was mentioning, and it’s a crucial element of why people would like TAB to begin with.  Basically, it’d be impossible to convert non-believers if you didn’t believe yourself, right?  You’ll never have to worry about that with TK, because the guy never wavers when it comes to talkin’ about G-O-D on the m-i-c, you feel me?  So…yeah…I mean, performance-wise, I think he does a solid job with his material on “No Escape,” and content-wise, it’s pretty much what I expected to hear from him.  I think that anyone that’s been following along with the journey of The Advocate Brigade would have a clear idea of what to expect, which again, all traces back to the unshakable belief system of TK at the helm of this project.  I’m way too much of a lefty and a pesky globalist to be recruited – but so what?  You wouldn’t want the likes of me hangin’ around your crew muddying up the waters of politics & such anyhow.  I’m just one opinion & all I’ve ever claimed to know anything about is what sounds good to me.

I’ll admit…the concept of constant brokenism has become fiercely tiresome to me, but once again, I can understand that there are many people that don’t feel that way or see the world the same way that I do.  If TK’s gotta keep spittin’ his truth to stimulate change for the better, I’m cheering for TAB’s success.  All I want for anyone is to be able to live the life they WANT to live, however that comes about.  Part of me has always wondered what it would be like for TK if he fully achieved the mission…what would he rap about then?  Would his rhymes all turn into sunshine and rainbows and happy cotton candy stuff?  He’s kind of stuck in a symbiotic situation of which there really is “No Escape” – each side needs the other in the battle of good versus evil, does it not?  And so he fights, daily, to stay on the straight and narrow, encouraging others to do the same…I truly see no harm in that.  Sure we can break things down into the smaller pieces of policy and ideology and such, and we’d have some righteous debates on that stuff I’m sure – but fundamentally, at the core of it all, TK is really just trying to do some good with his life y’all.

At the very least, he knows his way around the beats and bars in the studio, and TAB sounds convincing on “No Escape.”  Featuring some intense hooks to fuel the chorus, a hauntingly atmospheric guitar vibe from guest-star John Womack added into the mix, and a video that’s shot in the signature style of TAB’s vision to reach across the country with its music…”No Escape” is another potent entry into their catalog.  You’ll see a line in the credits that reads:  “Getting better is the only option” – and I couldn’t agree more.  To me, that’s where the dialog starts…we find those core fundamentals we can agree on, and build from there.  We don’t all need to agree with everything each other says overnight…we just need to find some common ground.  Music is a perfect way to go about doing exactly that, so we can start moving forward, knowing the escape we’re really seeking, is change we can achieve when we’re together, united as one.

Find out more about The Advocate Brigade at the official website at:  https://theadvocatebrigade.com

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