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Saul Williams
Saul Williams
(Fader Label)
First Appeared in The Music Box, October 2004, Volume 11, #10
Written by T.J. Simon
Poet/actor/rapper Saul Williams gained widespread attention after starring in
the hip-hop poetry film Slam, and therefore, it’s no surprise that his
self-titled second album is a fusion of spoken-word pieces, DJ breakbeats, prog-rock
guitars, and punk sensibility. Williams cites The Mars Volta, Cursive,
Blackalicious, and Cody ChestnuTT as influences, and the styles of these
disparate artists shine through on this eclectic and challenging release. A
gifted wordsmith, his lyrics are full of intelligent, in-your-face politics and
social commentary, and throughout the collection, Williams raps and rhymes about
a variety of big ideas including gentrification, slavery reparations, and MTV’s
proclivity toward the ghetto-thug subculture.
The eponymous disc begins with Talk to Strangers, an artistic
recitation placed over a piano loop, and while it’s not much of a song, it
successfully establishes Williams as a talent much smarter than an entire cell
block of his gangsta counterparts. Telegram is another poem performed
over a Bad Brains guitar sample — a cool idea that might have worked had
Williams taken the time to synch his rhymes with the pace of the music. One of
the album’s blistering high points is Act III Scene 2 (Shakespeare) where
vocals are shared with Zack de la Rocha, formerly of Rage Against the Machine.
For all its ambitions, Saul Williams’ sophomore effort is far from being an
easy listen. The closest thing it has to a catchy song is the
Caribbean-influenced Black Stacey, which deals with the unfortunate
transformation of youthful insecurity into black militancy. The disc also has
many painfully bad moments including Williams’ ill-advised attempt at singing
prog-metal on Surrender (A Second Time to Think) and three concluding
tracks that go absolutely nowhere. With too many grating and half-baked cuts,
Williams’ latest outing is difficult to recommend, but that shouldn’t prevent
adventurous listeners from exploring the album’s finer moments because both his
inventive zeal and talent are huge, even if they frequently don’t mesh.  ½
Saul Williams is available
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2004
The Music Box
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