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- By date
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Buck isn't a talented rapper, but he has a gift for expressive storytelling and evokes a range of emotions with his limited, mumbling vocals.
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Alternative PressHone[s] his twangy, hip-hop Americana to pitchfork sharpness. [Jan 2005, p.114]
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Entertainment WeeklyConsistently inventive. [21 Jan 2004, p.89]
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His appeal isn't just in the wedding of hip-hop to the American folk tradition; other artists from Beck to Timbaland have taken respectable shots into that acoustic barrel. Buck 65 is doing something more ambitious: reading a tradition of American storytelling through hip-hop.
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UrbWhile the melding of country with hip-hop might seem dubious, from Buck's perspective, they may as well be symbiotic. [Jan/Feb 2005, p.94]
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SpinWelcome to the Dirty North, y'all. [Feb 2005, p.88]
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Filled with shimmering waves of pedal steel and slide guitar, these spare, gritty reenactments will surely please fans of his 2003 urban-folk platter Talkin' Honky Blues.... Underground hip-hop enthusiasts, however, might be put off by Buck's near-complete disregard for the rippling, sample-laden funk of his youth.
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The collection doesn't cohere the way it should, and I still say seek out Talkin' Honky Blues. But wherever you start, he's a major rhymer, performer, storyteller, humanist visionary, and student of the DJ arts.
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The new versions aren’t bad, but the Vertex-era fan might quickly become the unwitting recipient of a $20 coaster.
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Deft at pulling both heartstrings and party tricks, Buck 65 has peers as an emotive rapper, but he's alone in giving hip-hop such a personal, puzzling spin.
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It's his delivery -- growling, El Camino exhaust-flavored and addictive like old smokes -- that make this crackling debut easy to listen to, if incredibly difficult to file.
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BlenderBuck ingeniously borrows from dub, metal and country to capture his characters' woozy worlds. [Mar 2005, p.137]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 17 out of 20
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Mixed: 2 out of 20
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Negative: 1 out of 20
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GraceE.Jul 7, 2007
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MariusDJun 14, 2006Stuff of legends. "cries a girl" and "out of focus" lyrics are spectacular. wud love to meet the man. Haven't been able to stop listening to it!
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JamesAJan 29, 2006amazing