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Non-Prog CD Reviews

Maxx the Muffin Man

Every Summer Since

Review by Gary Hill

This is an intriguing hip hop album. The musical backdrops are always interesting. The raps tend to be quite effective, too. For the most part, I'd say that the songs that have two rappers are the best ones here, but the majority of this works pretty well. As you might expect from a lot of hip hop, parental advisories are prominent here. In fact, they are common enough that I'll just mention it in the overall review rather than the reviews of the individual tracks.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2018  Volume 2 at  garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2018.

Track by Track Review
Wavy Gravy (Feat. C.O.B.)
Keyboard type textures open this. The cut works out from there with a rhythmically based backdrop for the rap. There are other keyboard type elements on the top of it. It's a pretty strong cut with some interesting changes.
Match Box
The musical element here is pretty trippy stuff. It has a weird horror movie kind of vibe in some ways. The rapping is solid. I think I like this cut better than I like the one that preceded it.
Puff is Enough (Feat. C.O.B)
I like the back and forth between the two raps. This is a powerful cut. In fact, I think it's one of the highlights here. The arrangement is mostly rhythmic, but there are some intriguing bits of melody.
Adderall N Cigarettes

This is strange, but also cool. As odd as this one is, it's also a highlight.

Sunday Suede (Feat. C.O.B)

I love the balance between the two raps on this cut. The musical elements bring something special to this, too. This is another highlight of the set.

Every Summer Since
The title track has a cool old-school soulful vibe to the musical structure at times. It also gets twisted at times. Personally, this one doesn't really work all that well for me.
See What Side (Feat. C.O.B)

Another with good usage of two rappers, this is an interesting cut. It works really well and has an intriguing musical arrangement, too.

Power Nap
I love the music on this. It has almost a progressive rock vibe in some ways. The rap is one of the best here, too. The combination of things makes this both one of the most unique pieces here, and one of the strongest. I love this song.
Wishing the Daze (Feat. C.O.B)
The musical concept here has a bit of a jazz vibe. The dual raps work really well. This is another strong tune.
No Chorus Needed
The rap on this feels troubled and pained. The cut is a bit uncomfortable for that reason. That makes it challenging in some ways, but also worthwhile. The ending segment is really trippy.
 
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