The Craft

There's no more accomplished crew in alt-rap, and though that can make their messages seem slick sometimes, on ['The Craft'] their booming beats, lucid raps, and articulate rhymes are technically miraculous.

Is it possible that Gab and Xcel could have improved and surpassed Blazing Arrow's success? The Craft simply says yes.

Elevates their brand of art-house hip-hop to another level.

The Craft stands as an example that it is possible to successfully branch out while keeping the roots of your culture alive.

From the first track, The Craft replicates Blazing Arrow's assured, patchouli-scented combination of rock-solid songcraft and spacey experimentation.

It's everything we love about Blackalicious, but with a little more neo-soul vibe than we're used to. [#17, p.94]

While the first half of the album may sound like a watered-down Blazing Arrow, everything picks up when the duo unveil two of the grooviest message tracks since Stevie Wonder's "Livin' for the City" in "The Fall and Rise of Elliot Brown" and "Black Diamonds and Pearls."

Smart, eclectically but authentically funky, and humane to boot. [Oct 2005, p.168]

A breath of fresh air. [Nov 2005, p.122]

Sometimes the after school special feel of it takes its toll... But they win you back, because that's what underdogs do: they eventually win.

Unsurprisingly buoyant. [Oct 2005, p.137]

Fans of the group's previous work-- and of Solesides/Quannum-related material in general-- will find treats within The Craft's many folds, but its irregular terrain will likely prevent consensus about which tracks represent the peaks and which the troughs.

The jury's still out on if such obvious nods to commerciality will fly with their diehard audience. [Sep 2005, p.104]

With this typically solid effort, Blackalicious seems torn between “saving” the game and playing it, and if the trend continues on future efforts, it seems as if assimilation will trump revolution yet again.

Xcel’s production doesn’t stray very far from its R&B and soul influences, but this time it comes without almost any samples, relying sometimes on players from a homebrewed funk band to create clearance-free beats instead. Unfortunately, this new recipe doesn’t always hit the mark, and songs such as “Black Diamonds and Pearls” sound more like smooth jazz than What’s Going On-era Marvin Gaye.

A little less formula and more personal expression would have gone a long way toward making this one an essential addition to their discography.