CD Review: Big World Breaks' 4 Those Lost

A A A Comments By Jonathan Cunningham Wednesday, Jul 22 2009

Big World Breaks

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4 Those Lost(self-released)

If you can imagine a merger of 1940s-era jazz big band, Spanish Harlem–style boogaloo from the '70s, and the Roots circa 1990, then you'll have a grasp of the music that Seattle's Big World Breaks is making. On their latest album, 4 Those Lost, many of the city's most prominent hip-hop and R&B figures contribute a hodgepodge of sounds that coalesce quite nicely.

With 19 tracks, the album is broken down into three stages. Sonically, Stage 1 is for the b-boys, which is fitting since BWB initially got its start at break-dancing events. You'll hear fast-paced horns and percussion on songs like "Transform" and "Morning Sun" that are perfect for poppin' and top-rocking. But within that section there are some slower jams, like "Trouble Don't Last," featuring Toni Hill, with an uplifting message like a church hymnal.

Stage 2 ventures toward the spiritual, as cuts like "Beep Beep" and "Prayers in Trinidad" celebrate life. On "Emerald City Step," perhaps the album's best track, a variety of first-generation MCs from around the world, including Yirim Seck (Senegal), Khingz (Haiti), Gabriel Teodros (Ethiopia), and B-Flat (Virginia), rap about where their "mamas come from." Stage 3 is more for the lovers, with slow, jazzier compositions like "Raining Down," featuring Isabella Du Graf. There's something for everyone here, and listening to 4 Those Lost might help you find yourself.

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