Posted on: October 25, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

There is a laid back feel to this disc that first manifests itself during “Cooley McCoolsen”. This sound is reminiscent of some of the ambient music of the mid to late nineties, and what differentiates it from that style has to be the inclusion of a funk laden backing beat. The flow changes considerably for “Alles Fur Die Cuts”, a track that maintains the somewhat downtempo flow but jazzes it up considerably with a rap-type flow. “New Ice Cream Truck Sound” does much of the same thing as “Alles Fur Die Cuts”, as there is a shambling electronic beat that is placed behind a rap flow.

The funkiness of the rest of the tracks on the album is present in this track. The method of delivery for the funk may be different from track to track (classical funk to an electronic interpretation of the style), but one will be grooving hared with subsequent Monsieur Leroc tracks. The tracks are of a quality that they could conceivably be on the radio, but are intricate enough that serious music fans will appreciate the nuance of Monsieur Leroc’s compositions on “I’m Not Young But I Need The Money”. Monsieur Leroc goes back into a slower tempo with eir “Freewheelin’ Frankie”, a song that (as some might guess), goes back to the lounge style of the fifties. However, the swinging nature of the track keeps the momentum that Leroc created on prior tracks up. Monsieur Leroc creates the perfect chill album to sip to; individuals can sit and chat over this music, and eir compositions are not pointed enough to disturb the flow of things.

When ey gets a little quick in tempo (as is the case with songs like “Give Me Not Trouble”, Monsieur Leroc’s music still reaches a point where it can fade into the background. Monsieur Leroc’s compositions provide the perfect background for some of the most established independent rappers out today; AWOL One, Radioinactive and 2Mex all make appearances on this album. The smart backing beats that Leroc creates will make individuals that may not even like rap music into fans of the acts presented on this disc. Give this disc a try, as it provides a mashup that has not been done to death. While the disc may not be revolutionary, it is a bold step forward by two genres that have spinning their wheels for quite some time.

Top Tracks: Freewheelin’ Frankie, Pacemaker

Rating: 5.6/10

Monsieur Leroc – I’m Not Young But I Need The Money / 2006 Cornerstone / 12 Tracks / http://myspace.com/monsieurLeroc / http://www.cornerstoneras.com / Reviewed 14 October 2006

[JMcQ]

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