Album Review: The Quiett - Vol.4 Quiett Storm: A Night Record
The Quiett – Vol.4 Quiet Storm: A Night Record
01 Welcome To The Show
02 Never Q.U.I.T.T.
03 Be My Luv MV
04 Stars (feat. Verbal Jint & Swings)
05 Lonely One
06 Q’s Way (feat. 샛별)
07 Game Theory
08 Airplane Music (feat. Basick, Rimi, Beenzino, Fana & San E)
09 시간이 왔나봐 (feat. Dead’P)
10 Old Records
11 Love/Hate (feat. Jinbo)
12 Shine ‘Em MV
13 Be My Luv Remix (feat. B-Free, ‘NUCK’넋업샨, Paloalto & junggigo)
The Quiett is currently known to be one of Korean hip-hop’s most respected emcees-producers. Behind the soundboards, he has been responsible for hits from Drunken Tiger, Yoon Mi Rae and several others. On the mic, he has released 4 full length albums in addition to the ‘Back on the Beats’ mixtape series and a full-length collaboration LP (with fellow rapper Paloalto – appropriately titled ‘P&Q: Supremacy’) Even with all these achievements, the Q is still a highly underrated artist on the Soul Company label.
Although normally a one-man army when it comes to music production, the Q’s 4th album, “Quiet Storm: A Night Record” takes on a different approach. On this record, The Q has chosen to work with a variety of producers such as Jake One (of Rhymesayers), DJ Mitsu the Beats, Kev Brown, Slakah the Beatchild and master recording engineer Vlado Meller (whom has mastered records from artists such as Kanye West, Lil’ Wayne, Mariah Carey, and even 2PM). The first track (“Welcome to the Show”) establishes a soulful mood and sets the tone for the rest of the album. On this song, the Q reintroduces himself to listeners by dissecting a mellow instrumental by Slakah. It ends up sounding like a rather lukewarm effort, but the next song fixes that. Track 2, “Never Q.U.I.T.T.” starts picking up the pace with a jazz-influenced track from U.S. beatmaker, Jake One. On this beat, the Q raps about staying on his grind, and being the best emcee-producer. The message picks up where track 1 left off, and formally completes the introduction to the listener. Next up is the title track, “Be My Luv,” which is a radio-friendly song catering to the ladies. It is an upbeat number that even contains a rare and brief singing effort from The Q. Because of this, “Be My Luv” is the biggest departure from his usual style on the whole album, but it is done tastefully with a soulful twist. The chorus is catchy enough to be a good fit for mainstream audiences.
Immediately following the title track is “Stars (ft. Verbal Jint & Swings)” which is a great collaboration between the self-proclaimed ‘King of Flow’ (Verbal Jint) and the ‘Punch-Line King’ (Swings). All three emcees flow efficiently on the beat and are equally potent without outshining the other. Moving on,to the next song on the album, “Lonely One,” is a track about losing love. It’s not quite on par with the other tracks, but it is retains the signature smooth sound like the majority of the songs on the record. Despite this, the beat still doesn’t feel as fleshed out as the other instrumentals. “Q’s Way (feat. 샛별)” quickly makes up for this. The melodic chorus, the flow and the bass deliver a solid track that is worthy of repeat listens. Unfortunately, the song that follows this (“Game Theory”) isn’t up to par with the other tracks for the opposite reasons: the chorus is uninspiring and the beat provided by Kev Brown is dull. After skipping over this track, the next song is the standout posse cut, “Airplane Music.” With a guestlist featuring some of the best emcees in the Korean underground scene, The Q is joined by Basick’s slick flow, Rimi’s irresistible charm, Fana’s rapid-fire delivery, Beenzino’s smooth lyrics and San E’s wordplay on the track. There are enough English lyrics sprinkled throughout the verses to make even the most jaded listeners bop their head. The infectiously quick instrumental complements each rapper’s flow as they take turns murdering the beat, which make it worthy of repeat listens.
The last third of the album closes out A Night Record on a high note. On “시간이 왔나봐 (feat. Dead’P)” The Q teams with Dead’P from BigDeal Records. The two lay their verses on a smooth and jazzy track about letting go of love. Although this theme has been referenced once before, the song doesn’t sound stale. Moving on to the next track, is an ode to both the past and the future of hip-hop. Entitled “Old Records,” this DJ Mitsu the Beats-production features The Q on some thought provoking rhymes about his musical legacy years from now. For fans of smooth R&B, “Love/Hate (feat. Jinbo)” is one laid-back cut due to Jinbo’s soothing vocals. On this song, The Q addresses his two audiences (fans and haters) in an honest manner. Onward to the second to last track is “Shine ‘Em,” a bonafide heavy hitter for a second single. The beat is magnificently well composed with its deep sounding bass and loud bumping rhythm that energizes the whole track. The music video features The Q at nighttime beside the Han River, which fits with the song quite nicely. Last but not least, the album closes with the remix for “Be My Luv” which includes additional verses and vocals from B-Free, NUCK’넋업샨, Paloalto, and Junggigo over the same instrumental. This version actually sounds better than the original as there is more rapping throughout the song.
Overall, “The Quiet Storm: A Night Record” is a very strong hip-hop album. It is truly soulful and easy on the ears. The songs on the record stay consistent with the theme of hip-hop music that can be played at night. Nearly all the jazzy tunes and laid-back soul samples accompany The Q’s flow perfectly. Despite having only produced around half the album, the Q’s own beats still outshine his collaborators. Perhaps the album could’ve sounded better if all the songs were completely self-produced like his previous albums. But even still, ‘Quiet Storm: A Night Record’ deserves a nod for hip-hop album of the year for its mass appeal and top notch production.
Rating: 4.5/5
Ratings breakdown:
5/5 – Even if you’re not a fan of this artist/group this album is a must buy.
4/5 – If you’re a fan of this artist/group, you must buy this album.
3/5 – If you’re a fan of this artist/group, you might want to add this one to your collection.
2/5 – I don’t think a fan would even buy this.
1/5 – You might as well just flush your money down the toilet.
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