RJD2 - The Third Hand - 2007 - Album review

RJD2 – The Third Hand – 2007 – Album review
HIGHLIGHTS: You've Never had It/ Laws Of The Gods / Someday/ Beyond
SOUNDBITE: Whoa-oh lazy man, you broke the laws of the gods
RATING: 3/5
DJ Shadow comparisons have followed RJD2 around like a sad little fan boy since his first LP Deadringers and in an attempt to throw them off with his third full-length effort, RJ has ditched the samples, learnt to play his own instruments and taken up singing. Ironic then that this LP will unite coffeetablists everywhere who were disappointed with Shadow's fanbase-sabotaging, hyphy dominated The Outsider. Also those indie loving tossers who like to think they're broad-minded will lap it up, it's got the beats, the atmosphere and no rapping. But don't let that put you off. There is something about it. Reminiscent in some ways of Money Mark, RJ's voice doesn't have the same range and versatility, but his production and beats are better and it lacks Money Mark's blatant retroness and annoying deviation into self-indulgent noodling, though that's not to say this isn't retro sounding. RJ sings on most of the tracks and his voice and harmonies recall late era Beach Boys and other California psychedelia (if you can imagine that sort of thing with beats behind it) like on opener You've Never Had It or Laws Of The Gods' commentary on hubris. His voice (which rarely drops below a falsetto) is shown to best effect in the acoustic warmth of Someday which particularly evokes late 60s San Francisco but for reasons best known to its creator is barely over a minute long. Other comparisons might also be made, the general orchestration is almost lush enough for Moby in places and there's a kind of quirky Beck-ness to the lyrics. However, on an initial listen only Beyond's beats, rhythm and keys made a distinctive impression as a single track. The album gave more of a sense that you were listening to suites in the same symphony. Still 'perhaps that was the point' as they say in art bollocks circles. That was my first impression anyway and one that hasn't changed much since. It could do with some more variety and some more hooks and I feel like I should be dismissing it as fairly typical 'trip-hoppy' electronica but like I said - there is something about it. I get a sense RJD2 is working through something here and it doesn't quite work. If next time he could combine what he's generated here with say a few collaborations with rappers – we could then be listening to an album as beautiful as this one's cover.
Out now.
Listen to RJD2 – The Third Hand