I wish I could like Jay Slim more than I do. He has precise rapping skills and a way with words. Yet I really do not get much more out of his lyrics than the usual hip-hop obsessions with sex, swear words, and their ego. It’s too bad because he is an exceptional talent. Yet there is enough good times and urban beauty in his debut album The High Life to highly recommend it. A big plus is that he is surrounded with the lush and soulful production of Just Plain Ant. “Ramblings of a Mad Man” blends a post-bop jazz sound with some roller-coaster rapping. The title track and “Thought You knew” are two heavily grooving highlights. Fellow Richmond rapper Brad Oblivion joins Jay Slim on “Oh So Yes” and adds another dimension to the music. Unfortunately Sleaze’s contribution on “Who Needs Forever” isn’t to my liking but again it is a tight track with plenty of movement. In spite of my personal reservations regarding theme and substance, I must admit that musically this is one of the best online hip-hop albums you will find.

The High Life is available from Just Plain Ant’s new label Just Plain Sounds in VBR MP3 (around 192kbps).

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