Pitchfork

Having begun his career in close proximity to Blackalicious and DJ Shadow, dropped countless killer guest verses on records by Lifesavas, Tommy Guerrero, and Poets of Rhythm, and blazing Blackalicious' underrated full-length, it's hardly surprising that high expectations would surround the solo debut from the lower voice of Latyrx. What is surprising is that he's delivered as hoped: Later That Day shows him stepping out as the freshest driving force behind the less-than-vocal Quannum collective.

The most important thing about this record is to realize that Lyrics Born's greatest strength lies in the power of his voice. Along the lines of Gift of Gab with a smoke-scarred throat, his soulfully, raspy vocals are augmented by rapid cadence changes and an enjoyable cold funk delivery. His subject matter touches upon mostly pedestrian concepts, from anxiety towards tax collectors and neglectful parents ("Stop Complaining") to his tribulations within various friendships ("Before and After") to his discontent with the mediocrity of his opponents ("Pack Up"). He handles these topics with a mix of crisp raps and addictive singsong hooks that works on both levels attempted, while still seeming genuine within the everyman role.

But none of these tracks hold the emotional severity of the hammerhead mid-album chanter "The Last Trumpet" with partner-in-crime Lateef The Truth Speaker. A thinly veiled 9/11 response at face value, the song thrives chiefly on the ridiculous chemistry between Latyrx. Riding a barebones drum loop with rolling bass stabs and an orchestral hue, the duo trades off lines, with Lyrics Born detailing that the "the harvest has no worth" while Lateef vilifies a society wherein "the people are the victims, sheep being led about." The song reaches its apex with the criss-crossing choral ring that tightens around the rhymesayers in question, springing from a call-and-response game against the term "right now," almost paying homage to Van Halen. It all amounts to the kind of positive rap rave-up you'd expect from Latyrx: fast, melodic and as far as you can get from rap without sounding too foreign.

The production develops the surprising crux of Later That Day. The aesthetic is clear from the outset: Lyrics Born takes late 70s/early 80s standards and soundscapes, mangles them into rap format and drops a lovely modern veneer over them. From the bouncing guitar and crushing vamp of "Bad Dreams" to the cowbell-infused, chopped-up Dawn of the Dead disco of Cut Chemist's "Do That There" to the floating Rick James synth and electronic fuzz bass of "One Session", Lyrics Born embraces the past without sounding like a tribute album.

Although the first solo from Lyrics Born has a dearth of lame skits ("Cold Call" might feature Gift of Gab, but it's seriously just a four minute phone conversation with a beat that they never utilize) and a couple repetitive throwaway cuts ("Hello", "Rise and Shine"), but it still stands as a startling debut from an under-appreciated emcee in a steadily growing label.