Phoenix by Carlos Bryant

     In an industry diluted with artists making identical music with an aimless purpose, it is always refreshing to hear a young emcee with the drive to be not only better, but different. That young emcee's name is Carlos Bryant, and this Stockton, California native is no stranger to The Under-Cover Album Review, as he's been making appearances since the site's inauguration. 

     Bryant's latest project is Phoenix, and this marks as his debut EP. Phoenix is jam packed with sharp lyricism, strong beats, and great messages all tactfully crafted by Carlos Bryant himself. In terms of the albums lyrical worth, this is what Bryant prides his craft on. Throughout the album, listeners should be able to hear Carlos pour his life experiences into his music, making for a very profound listen. 

     Additionally, he has a pretty solid flow, and takes his rhyming very seriously. As stated previously, lyricism is Bryant's bread and butter, however, his delivery could use a tad bit of touching up as he consistently keeps the same tone and rhythm in his voice rather than changing and altering it to further convey his message. This attribute is something that simply comes with time, and it really doesn't take away too much from the overall listening experience so no harm was done.  

     Touching on the production, a bit of a pop-rap style was evident, but the beats stayed within the realm of variations on the classic boom-bap with a little harder drum kicks. That being said, the beats all seem cohesive and comprehensive in terms of the thematic sound. Phoenix features only two different producers, PharoMazan and Kloud9Beats, and both seem to have similar styles which really improved the album's highly coveted "listening experience." 

     While Carlos may not have the precise "it" factor in his arsenal just yet, he does however have a few intangibles within his weaponry that many people should take a liking to. For starters, he brings a certain intensity to all of his tracks that can really be felt. This intensity, I believe, comes from his passion and love for hip-hop, and those are the kind of guys people should want to pull for. On top of that, he makes valuable music because it's more than just clever punchlines and hard beats, it's about life and the feelings that come along with it. Making this style of music isn't popular, but it is a growing trend, and it is admirable. Let's just hope that Bryant's "it" factor lies in his near future, because good guys/artists such as him deserve to be rewarded.

     Phoenix is a fairly solid album to say the least. For those who've heard his music before, this should serve as more of an update on his progression within music, and those who haven't heard Bryant's music will be opened up to a new and exciting breath of hip-hop, that hopefully you'll like. Phoenix is by no means the hit album of the year, but it does without question deserve people's ears as it is worth the listen. Check it out and comment your thoughts below!

@MindOfCarlos