Gym Class Heroes: The Quilt

Many people think that I don't like Hip-Hop or Rap. To an extent that's only half true. I do enjoy smart music. And for the most part there is alot of rap out there that I DO NOT call smart music. Example... Ying Yang Twins, Lil (insert name here), T.I. and many others. But there are Rappers or Hip-Hop artists that I do respect... examples... Jay-Z, Kanye West, Atmosphere, K-OS, and Busta Rymes... just to name a few. Gym Class Heroes are an interesting genre transcending band. They dabble in styles of rap, hip-hop, rock, reggae, punk and indie. And the latest effort from the band titled The Quilt really expresses just how true the title is.

The first song Guilty As Charged starts off with a huge trumpet intro and jumps right into the ridiculously catchy chorus. Travis the lead singer/rapper has always put so much of himself into the lyrics that its hard not to be entertained by his personal touch, not to mention there is alot to relate to, which I believe makes him and the band accessible to anyone. For example the song Catch Me If You Can references things from my childhood like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Transformers and the enjoyable Saturday morning cartoons. The reggae infused Blinded By The Sun is alot of fun. The song makes me feel like summer should last just a few more weeks. Probably my two favorite tracks are the somewhat heartfelt song called Like Father Like Son (Papas Song) which has a Beatles type chorus with hip-hop bridges that help you understand where the lead singer comes from and how he got here on the way. But my other favorite song is Live Forever(Fly With Me), which features a guess artist Daryl Hall. Daryl who? you may ask. Remember the duo Hall and Oats? Well Daryl Hall was part of that duo. And he is a guest star on the new Gym Class Heroes album? Does it work? Not only does it work but it works very well. The chorus has that old 70's style charm with a modern flavor of hip-hop. One thing this band also seems to amaze me on is the music. The guitar and drum work on this cd is so much fun and the way they can mold genres into a piece of work that all can enjoy is just something to be proud of. If you have sensitive ears this cd may not be for you... one song in particular is Peace Sign/Index Down features Busta Rymes as a guest star. The song talks about all the crap this band gets for what they do and pretty much they say F*** you to all the people who hate them and that they don't make music for you they make it for their fans, family and most importantly themselves.

I have always enjoyed Gym Class Heroes. The first two Cd's I thought were innovative and clever and this cd just follows the trend to show Gym Class is one band that knows how to write unique music that all can enjoy. I love this cd and it just may contend for one of the top albums of the year from me.

Grade: A

for fans of: well... not quite sure who to put on here seeing as there is something for everyone with this band.