X2

Brooklynite Terrence "Tes" Tessora has served a lengthy apprenticeship in New York's unforgiving rap underground, yet releases his debut (x2, pronounced "times two") on a British label. He belongs to a long tradition: from Quincy Jones to Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix, Europe--and Britain in particular--has always been open to adventurous Americans bearing experimental musical offerings.

This is a major stroke of luck for those of us this side of the pond, for Tes has delivered a record, like Edan's Primitive Plus, that not only tips its stylistic hat to rap's late-80s' creative zenith, but takes on board that era's urge to unfettered creativity. The brilliant "New New York" is the immediate standout, infectiously based on a loop of swirling strings, while "Fooltime" matches a doo-wop a cappella drone with nagging guitar and rattling drums. Tes's vocals, dense, sometimes blisteringly fast, are rooted in everyday situations yet it will take months to wring the allusions and references from them.

Sometimes, as with many of his NY underground peers, Tes tries too hard to be abstract, and loses focus ("Trigga Da Whistla" is particularly guilty). But that is the album's only problem, and it's not exactly a bad one to have. --Angus Batey

Label: Unknown
Studio: Lex
Released: 2003-04-21
Format: Vinyl