Sage Francis - A Healthy Distrust
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If underground rapper Sage Francis seemed unfocused before, he's found his direction. And if there was any doubt to his talent, whether that be as a rapper, lyricist or entertainer, it'll pretty much be shot down by A Healthy Distrust. Elements of Francis's previous work inform A Healthy Distrust. Whether it's working with underground producers -- Dangermouse, Alias, Just Beats, Sixtoo -- or employing spoken word breakdowns, or remaining adamantly frustrated and self-deprecating, he's still a strange fruit with a tough exterior. He calls out "radio suckers" who are "scared shitless of dismissing Clear Channel playlists" on "The Buzz Kill", Distrust's radiant opener. Ever the independent, red-state-baiting agitator, he should fit in nicely with Epitaph's punk roster. A Healthy Distrust is impressively fluid; Francis fuses his experimental leanings and newer mainstream hip-hop allowances with ease. A highly effective cameo by folk hero and Dr. Dre protege (not!) Will Oldham lends an acoustic guitar and desert-island sorrow to "Sea Lion". Francis replies in kind with lyrics about building yourself up from humble beginnings; he definitively declares, "I built this suit of armor with wooden arms," both a testament to his strength and an admission of vulnerability. Directly following is "Gunz Yo", a likely single and one of his most mainstream tracks to date. Even amid familiar territory of gun violence -- complete with bullet-firing sound effects -- Francis's lyrics are daring, to say the least, portraying a "homophobic rapper unaware of the graphic nature of phallic symbols / Tragically ironic, sucking off each other's gats and pistols." Francis doesn't seem bent on pleasing anyone in particular, but he ensures that no-one will deny his expertise in the future. "Escape Artist" begins with typically weird verses about magic and David Blaine, but it suddenly becomes a showcase for his MC skills, peeling the paint back and scattering papers as he flies by at a mindbending pace. His articulation is occasionally awkward, as at the song's end, when he repeatedly enunciates "escape artist", but it actually helps us to understand his substantive, high-speed rhymes. Distrust's production is mercurial and exciting. The best beats come from Alias, who gives "Product Placement" a shade of dream-washed synthesized harp. "Dance Monkey" gets a caffeine-rush...
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