K-OS — Joyful Rebellion

It's official: Joyful Rebellion, the follow-up to K-OS' critically lauded debut Exit, is a winner. From the moment the string-assisted, soundboy-killin' "Emcee Murdah" sweeps its way in on track one, a tone has been set. K-OS’ reggae influence flows throughout the album, beginning on the hard-ass dub track "Crucial" and ending with the dragging Bob Dylan/Bob Marley influenced "One Blood." The greatest improvement between this disc and his last, is that K-OS presents different vocal styles, which is evident on Joyful Rebellion’s best song, the Michael Jackson-ish "Man I Used To Be." The disc’s first track, the old school "B-Boy Stance" is possibly the most mundane tune on the album, while "Dirty Water," the record’s most interesting track, is a K-OS/Sam Roberts collaboration that finds Sam singing about dirty water in his bong. This is a smartly-written, organic and eclectic album, akin to the sort of thing The Fugees would be putting out had they not lost their minds.

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