Brooklynati

A huge evolutionary leap forward from the group’s charming 2006 debut "Moonlighting," Brooklynati brings together the whole package: gorgeous beats, thoughtful rhymes, strong song concepts, and a laid-back, cohesive vibe.

Smart, left-field parodies such as 'Hardcore Gentlemen,' which sends up early-'90s horrorcore, prove that Tanya Morgan may go hard in pursuit of rap dreams, but they haven't lost their infectious sense of humor.

This feels, to me, like the sort of rap record we rap nerds lament a dearth of: sprawling and smart, bursting with production that ebbs symphonically but never cluttered over five-minute tracks, a long, warm-hearted record whose length is justified by long, genial verses that build on one another via sharp delivery and three assured mic presences (and one outrageous guest).

The effect is never derivative, nor is it catered to the commercial hip-hop landscape, but it's always memorable.

Whereas their 2006 disc, "Moonlighting," was across-the-board impressive but a tad monotonous, their latest hinges on memorable and unpredictable style jumps.

It is an extremely well produced album with good emceeing. It is a unique experience as it should be.