When was the last time that you heard honest to goodness hip-hop that you could groove to - hip hop music that enabled you to identify with the singers on a personal level. You know; no over the top talk about their riches and explicit narratives of sex and drugs - just good honest talk and music about life.

     Using a combination of indigenous beats, Latin, and American musical flares, the five piece band Moodphase5ive's latest CD Steady On provides that much welcome sound. The Cape Town, South African band touts themselves as Silent Funk and provide a revealing look at the ills of life on the flip side of society. I like how the songs reflect the struggles and truths modern South Africa must face since the disintegration of Apartheid. I particularly liked the last track on the CD Geto @ Sunset which flawlessly describes the psychology and life for billions world wide, who whether through historical, political, religious, or economic oppression have been denied the social mobility so many of us take for granted.

     The only true flaw of Steady On is that the songs are too long and it just seemed like after a while certain tracks just really needed to end. But the superb production value offset these flaws and in the end I highly recommend this Moodphase5ive’s Steady On to all who are in search of something new and most definitely invigorating.

     Send your comments and or questions about this article to JenniferJ@ybfree.com.

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