Review: "The Spirit And Its Fruits" Album by Lynx Cane
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London based rap artist and producer Lynx Cane creates a truly remarkable, classy affair on the timeless hip-hop grooves of his newly released album, “The Spirit And Its Fruits”. Everything within the sound draws from multiple genres at once. The hybrid style ranges from chilled-out reggae to hip-hop to jazz to futuristic electronica to funk with so much more.
Word choice proves exceptional, for he proves to be a deft storyteller, a careful observer of culture, all framed within a distinct optimism. Multi-faceted and multi-layered these possess an incredible amount of depth to them. Verses possess a poetry of sort for these are tinged with just the right amount of sunlight to them, allowing them that degree of hope.
MF Doom’s sense of play and pacing definitely does factor into the overarching sound. Similar to MF Doom’s, there’s that joyousness that underpins the whole journey. Beyond this, nods to Flying Lotus’s eclectic style appears throughout for these have a more than a few takes from jazz’s looseness and willingness to experiment. Funk samples rumble on through, with a focus on the 70s that gives it a slight A Tribe Called Quest quality, especially their earlier work. However, Lynx proves exceptional at making this feel very much his own thing.
Samples plunge and out of perception with “El Roi”. Things keep up this reflective stance on “Fruits”, featuring engless for it unfurls slowly. Dub “Gold” has a luxury to it. On “Blessings”, with Mary Sue, the sound soars up into the sky. Deep chords give “The Spirit”, featuring Keagz*, a contemplation. Elements of dance music gets reinterpreted with “Kingdom”. Woozy “Fire and Brimstone” has Lynx doubling down on his sheer speed.
Absolutely soaked in nostalgia “Prideful”, featuring Clayhead & Swordbearer, proves to be the highlight of the entire collection. “Blossom”, featuring Somewhitekid, Jay Cinema, & Keagz*, has a communal presence. “The Day of Atonement” utilizes elements of faith in a thought-provoking fashion. A nice sunny interlude comes through with “Spread Love”. Bringing everything to a close is “Grief (Poem)”.
“The Spirit And Its Fruits” revels in Lynx Cane’s uncanny flow, one that combines the best of old school and contemporary rap while retaining a style distinctly his own.