Land of Make Believe

Audio Mixer: Michael Kolar.
Photographer: Virgil Solis.
Mixing traditional boasts and classic hip-hop swagger with some high-quality rhymes and genre-expanding productions, Land of Make Believe is a flashy rebirth for the hip-hop Kidz in the Hall, one as colorful and bright as the album's `80s-inspired cover. The decade also influences some of the electro-like productions that are front-loaded on the album, such as the mind-bending "Out T Lunch" and the good-timing highlight "Flickin'," which can make the listener feel like a lottery winner for a solid four minutes ("No it ain't my birthday/But you see me spendin' cash"). "Jukebox" is just as exciting with its disco production from member Double-O, but it's another rump-shaker with strip club lyrics from Naledge. While the rapper lives up to his name on the grand-look-back "Do It All Again (I Am)", the rest of the serious numbers just don't stick like all the booty-obsessed fluff, making the album a two-steps-forward/one-step-back affair. Sour backpackers and over-scrutinizing fans that hold the Kidz in high regard may be disappointed by all the light-heartedness, but trim the fat and the party people will be rewarded with a vibrant, clever celebration. ~ David Jeffries