A void filled.

As I listened to the small clips of songs at one of those scan and listen listening stations in a Barnes & Noble the other day, giving Lyrics Born's latest offering a brief listen even tho I knew I would end up buying it (tho not at Barnes & Nobles as they did not have the album in stock), I also read the review on the little screen that went along with the sample clips. Bobbing my head to the beat I found myself completely at odds with the words of the reviewer.

It's not necessarily that the reviewer was wrong in her (I believe) analysis of many things about the music contained in the new LB. In fact she probably was right about some things. Yet she didn't really have a single positive thing to say; while she did not pan the album she did not give it much credit either.

Simply being correct about the things u say doesn't make u right. [That's like fortune cookie wisdom right there, ha!] I found the album to be a definite step away from much of mainstream hip-hop, as is the case when u listen to someone like Lyrics Born. It starts with just who he is as a person: a japanese dood from berkeley, ca. Clearly, not your average rapper. But beyond that he has his own unique sound, from his voice to his beats and music.

Everywhere at Once builds upon some of the steps Lyrics Born took on prior albums [including how he recorded a live album and performed with a band] yet at the same time stays very much true to the Lyrics Born many already know. In that sense, he really is everywhere at once: he's where he's been and where he hasn't. The manner in which the opening tracks all transition seamlessly from one to another gives the feel of being at a concert with a band jamming out. It creates a fun vibe, a different atmosphere. It truly makes you feel as if you are somewhere you aren't. As the album progresses things are not as smooth in terms of moving from one track to the next [in part due to some skits thrown in but also simply out of not melding the tracks together in the same manner] yet it does not detract from the album. It's just a different approach, a different direction.

As for the actual music itself, you find some tracks to be classic Lyrics Born. For example, "I Like It, I Love It" possesses the similar repetitive catchphrase of a chorus as "Callin' Out" does. Other songs simply maintain the cadence so familiar to a Lyrics Born song.

"Hott 2 Deff" is somewhat of a Lyrics Born take on being kanYe West in its braggadociosness and swagger. It's a fun time and to be honest, LB is hot like most don't know. With it's added bit of French, it's a fun and funky song, a mild departure to something inventive and new. "Cakewalk" poignantly goes into the fact that the game ain't easy...but no one said it would be, as Lyrics Born realizes. "Differences" stands out [much the way "I Can't Wait For Your Love (Limited Time Offer)" stood out on Same !@#$ Different Day] because you get to hear a rapper's perspective on dealing with issues in a relationship. Instead of simply calling it quits or playing the blame game or doing anything else stereotypical, Lyrics Born steps back to point out that we all got our differences, in particular men and women. At the end of the day you've got to accept this and reach compromises. His down to earth mentality and thoughts on the issue, one we can all relate to [e.g., the anecdote of the girl taking a long time to figure out what to wear, only to put on what she had on from the jump off] provide a rare perspective in the hip-hop/rap game.

Combine this perspective with his unique voice and distinct sound and he's right to question who would fill the void if he listened to that teacher back in the day on "Cakewalk."