Published on Dec 31, 1998
On paper, Us3 was an excellent idea. Young people in the early
’90s were big into rap and hip-hop. Jazz is not considered to be a
cool thing to listen to as a kid. Maybe, if the two worlds were
merged – classic jazz samples with some cool beats and raps – it
might get kids interested in the world of jazz music.
At first, with the success of the song “Cantaloop”, it seemed
like Us3 had done it. Even I – who was still very much a virgin in
the jazz world and not entirely appreciative of hip-hop – was
sucked into this world, and rushed out to pick up their debut album
Hand On The Torch.
And that’s when the truth was revealed. Even the best of
intentions can go terribly wrong if the backing material isn’t
strong enough to live up to the hype. And while there are some
glowing moments on this album, in the end, the project is not a
complete success.
Part of the problem, to my ears, was the use of three different
vocalists: Rahsaan (who is the voice behind “Cantaloop”), Kobie
Powell (who handles the majority of the lead vocals) and Tukka Yoot
(who is easily the square peg in this puzzle – more on that in a
minute). Three different styles of vocals is the first sign of
trouble – and we hit that within two tracks on
Hand On The Torch.
Frankly, I like it the most when Us3 doesn’t focus on the
traditional images of rap music – talking about violence, use of
the term “nigga”, etc. – and just tries to create a trip-hop mood
like on “Cantaloop”. But when you get down to tracks like “Just
Another Brother” and “The Darkside” – hell, if I wanted that, I’d
listen to groups like Digital Underground or 2Pac. (To Us3’s
credit, they don’t use profanity much on this album.)
And I could have easily lived without the Jamaican stylings of
Tukka Yoot, whose dancehall poetry sticks out on
Hand On The Torch like a sore thumb. (On the other hand,
thanks to listening to “Tukka Yoot’s Riddim”, I think I finally
know what that annoying piece of music at the start of
Dumb And Dumber is. Guess I’ll have to watch that movie
again over the holiday.) Yoot is only on two tracks, but these are
the ones I don’t mind skipping over on repeat listens.
The biggest problem is that
Hand On The Torch doesn’t live up to the hype they created
themselves; after a while, the jazz samples are so much background
noise. (A notable exception is “Different Rhythms Different
People”, an instrumental in the sense that none of the rappers
appear.) I picked this album up hoping to hear more exciting
material like “Cantaloop”. Unfortunately, as tracks like “I Go To
Work” and “It’s Like That” show, it gets real boring, real
quick.
That, kids, is a shame. The jazz world is one which I am still
unlocking the wonders of, and is a form of music that promises to
hold a lot of excitement for newcomers.
Hand On The Torch could have been a great skeleton key
towards getting a new generation interested in jazz, but the torch
goes out too quickly.