It's Almost Dry - Pusha T: Review
Pusha T
is a Virginia Beach rapper with a history in the genre that rivals almost anyone. He broke out as a member of Clipse alongside his brother and was a frequent Pharrell collaborator throughout this era. His solo career took on a new life alongside his association with Kanye West and his G.O.O.D Music label and this is where some of his most acclaimed records show up, including his most recent in 2018, Daytona.
Review By Lav:
If you know me, read this blog often, or follow me on any social media you know how much I love Pusha T. That admiration comes first and foremost from a long running and extremely consistent creative output across his entire career. While I've only gotten to review Pusha T once so far it was a hell of an album and perfectly representative of his consistent execution and unmatched lethal delivery. So I was obviously very excited for what was coming next and after two singles I really enjoyed, wall to wall production from Pharrell and Kanye and some positive attention early buzz in the direction of the album. While It's Almost Dry isn't perfect it has an immense base of talent at its core to build off of and when it's clicking, it's as good as almost anything I've heard this year.
Let's start with those two singles. Diet Coke came first and it's really a sensible lead single for the record that presents Pusha T's sound in a more digestible but still instantly recognizable way. It has a catchy hook and smooth piano loop that helps everything go down very easily. Neck & Wrist is a little bit more obtuse which might be why I wasn't immediately crazy about it, but it's grown on me a lot. While some of the vocalizations do sound silly at first they actually do a lot to highlight the songs intensity and fit in with the vocal samples laced throughout. If anybody out there thought Jay-Z might not have it anymore, for get about it. His guest verse on the song is the best feature on the album and absolutely goes toe to toe with Push on the song.
Given the names at work here on the production side of things it won't surprise you to hear that there are some kickass instrumentals on the record. The record opens up with two great Pharrell beats and in fact the first thing you hear on the record is the punchy drums on Brambleton. Push's demeanor it lethal right out of the gate and while the vocals on the hook are a bit more distant than I would like the refrains are still sticky and there's one great quotable after another. Let The Smokers Shine The Coupes has an absolutely insane beat and Push calls himself cocaine's Dr. Suess in the first 30 seconds so you know it's gonna be a classic. There's also a slick piano breakdown that re-introduces Push's final verse and it's somehow ever harder this song is just incredible.
Just So You Remember has an amazing sample that I could swear I recognized but I had to look up to remember the 20 year old DJ Shadow song I knew it from. The stark percussion is an absolutely perfect backing for Push's heated bars and the vocals on the hook just cut through everything as they soar over the song. The way he manages to always find new ways to sound confrontational is unbelievable. Closing track I Pray For You really stands out from the rest of the record in terms of scope with a huge expansive instrumental and a dramatic Labrinth hook. Push and Malice have a Clipse reunion on the tracks two verses and they absolutely live up to the expansive Kanye beat. Everyone involved meets the moment and it makes for an epic finale.
While the tracks that take a simpler approach may not be as satisfying there is still a lot going for them. Open Air is the simplest song here in every way but it still has a catchy trap beat with pan flutes mixed in and some compelling coke raps. Call My Bluff is an interesting song with some very catchy refrains throughout. I can't help but think the decision to play the vocal performance very lowkey does rob it of some of it's impact. The song is full of great bars and I like it but I can't help but imagine a better version of it.
Pretty much every deep cut on the record that has a feature, both real or purely in spirit, manage to come up short to the rest of the songs. Dreamin Of The Past has a Kanye produced piano beat with the bombastic sounds we've come to expect from the best Push and Ye collabs. It has a very Daytona feel with the Jealous Guy sample worked into every other bar during the verses and on the hook. The part of the song I'm not crazy about is the effects on Kanye's voice which I think are supposed to make it sound more raw but actually end up sucking the energy out of his punchlines. Hear Me Clearly was on the Nigo album that came out last month and I still think it's just okay. While the Vince Carter bar is still going into the Pusha T hall of fame and the eerie beat is solid it never feels like it's as big as it needs to be.
Scrape It Off is probably the one song on the record where Pusha T himself kind of lets me down, which is a surprise because I though Don Toliver or Lil Uzi were much more likely to. As it turns out Don Toliver kind of steals the show flexing his unique vocal flare on a solid hook. While Uzi and Push aren't bad on the song they are completely unmemorable and Push's consistent returning to the "my boy" at the end of each bar really lowers the creative potential on his verse. Rock N Roll is by far the worst song on the record but it doesn't have quite as much to do with Pusha T. Kid Cudi's vocal fried hook is an absolute disaster and the simple rattling trap beat is so uninspired. Somehow Kanye is even worse with more awful vocal effects and a totally incoherent verse that feels like a bad freestyle he lost track of immediately. I have no idea why this song was included here in its current state.
It's Almost Dry isn't perfect, but man does it go hard. Save for a weak hook or some bad vocals here and there this record is creative, intense and uncompromising just like the artist at its core. Conceptually this will be familiar to any Pusha T fan and really any hip hop fan at large but it's in the little details both lyrically and sonically that Push proves how unique of a talent he is and how dynamic of a performer he can be. 8/10
This cover is a lot to take in. There's layers of texture and color on top of each other which makes you look through it while trying to make out what's in it. While that's a great thing for a cover to have sometimes it's overused and I think this one does that just a little bit. I really like how the letters stand out from the chaos and draw you in so you can see the branding in it. None of the colors overpower each other but they could be brighter just to add some kind of pop to the composition. It's not my favorite but it certainly gets the point across. 6.5/10
For more hip hop check out my review of Vince Staples' Ramona Park Broke My Heart here
