- Record Label: Stones Throw
- Release Date: Jan 27, 2010
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For an in-demand producer like Madlib, it might not be good business to give some of his most stunning beats to a relatively unknown group, but Jackson is brilliant enough to elevate Strong Arm Steady to the level of cult heroes.
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From a purely instrumental standpoint, this album is the equal of the Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique, but without the recognizable hooks--every sound here is ultra-obscure and the more entertaining for it.
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Q MagazineThe trio's lyrical style is woven into a bewitching mesh of soul, funk and psychedlia by cut-and-paste guru Madlib. [Mar 2010, p.98]
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Solid, workmanlike rhymes abound, but a shortage of mind-blowing moments is tempered by the absence of mediocrity.
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For all Madlib's eclecticism and supposedly short attention span, his work here sounds focused and sharp. The beats aren't wasted here by any means, but a different crew could have brought out even more potential.
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It doesn't sound like much upon first listen. But after a few spins "In Search of Stoney Jackson" becomes a charming little record that has quite a lot to offer despite its fragmented, uncoordinated appearance.
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With Strong Arm Steady's MC trio of Krondon, Phil Da Agony, and Mitchy Slick (plus extended fam like Planet Asia, Phonte, and Fashawn) dropping lyrical barbs ("Telegram") and creatively reheated thug-isms ("Needle in the Haystack"), Madlib chops up loops bubbling with quirky humor and analog soul.