Whether or not any of that shit actually happens is a mystery, but for now, I'll focus on his follow-up to last year's awesome Twelve Reasons to Die.
36 Seasons, the reason for today's post, is a concept album based around what is supposed to sound like an action movie/comic book. Hell, even the album's cover art gets this fact exactly right. Ghostface Killah plays Tony Starks, which isn't a stretch considering the fact that he calls himself that anyways, a not-so-modest street soldier who's just trying to clean up his New York neighborhood, which has apparently gone to shit over the nine years he spent in Italy. I won't get into specifics here (that's kinda what the review is for), but I will note how much I fact that Ghost again got highly respected rappers to come along and be characters in this ridiculous ass story.
36 Season is Ghostface's first release on Tommy Boy Records, which is a good thing because Tommy Boy is not Soul Temple Records. On an entirely un-Ghost related note, fuck Soul Temple. Eighteen months ago, for some God forsaken reason, I ordered a $45 deluxe U-God album (I know, fuck me, there's no good excuse for me doing that, but there was also a pretty cool shirt that came with it) that I am literally still waiting for. I've had several conversation with workers via email, and the overwhelming answer I got was that I basically got robbed. Unfortunately, no Soul Temple also means no Adrian Young, who's production on Twelve Reasons to Die accounted for at least half of the album being as good as it was. Instead, we get The Revelations, who are also pretty damn good, but I'm seriously questioning whether or not they can make something as gloriously cinematic as Young. Moral of the story, though, is that Soul a Temple sucks.
Perhaps most the most shocking thing about 36 Seasons, though, is that it completely lacks any members of the Wu (seriously, Ghost couldn't convince Raekwon to contribute at least one verse? That's probably a testament to the disunity in the group, though) and as a result, it rest on the shoulders of Ghostface Killah's ability to stick to a single concept, as opposed to his tendency to space out and start talking about food and sex and shit.
So, can he pull it off again?
1. The Battlefield (Feat. AZ & Kool G. Rap)
Between the cinematic instrumental and the fact that it features two great rappers, "The Battlefield" kicks off the evening in a nice fashion. Ghost delivers his scene and story setting verse like a seasoned vet who is starving to death, if that even makes sense, and he does a damn fine job of it. To the song's credit, it's also fine by its own. Taken away from its context, this still worked well as a single, but I guess that's the type of thing that happens when you get these three on the same song. Hardly the greatest song Ghost will ever record, but this was a good was to start things off.
2. Love Don't Live Here No More (Feat. Kandace Springs)
Not exactly what you'd expect for a lead single from an album about, well whatever the hell this album is about, but Ghostface has always loved those R&B samples, so this oddly makes sense. Ghost's story expands, as visits his girlfriend that he hadn't seen in nine years. Oddly enough, she's found a new man, which actually isn't odd at all because that's what happens when you don't see someone for nine fucking years. Ghost is having none of it, though, and storms out of the house. Kinda hard to sympathize with our hero here, but its a nice song nonetheless.
3. Here I Go Again (Feat. AZ & Rell)
Fizzy Womack is again on the production, but this one hits a bit harder and is a little more dramatic than anything up to this point. As if he wasn't mad enough, Ghost leaves to find out the his neighborhood is much worse than when he left it. He decides to work with one of his old friends who is now a cop (AZ) to clean up the hood. Honesty, that sounds like a script of a movie that modern day Ice Cube would star in, but I'm sure the written version of Twelve Reasons To Die was equally ridiculous. I mean seriously, the dude was able to come back from being compressed to a vinyl just because he was Ghostface Killah. No further explanation, yet it was still awesome. This sounds like a Disney movie now, but I'll reserve judgement until we can see what Tony can do with the material.
4. Loyalty (Feat. Kool G. Rap & Nems)
Like I said earlier, the fact that Ghostface somehow convinced Kool G. Rap to not just participate on 36 Seasons, but to also follow the goddamn concept of the album, is pretty fucking impressive on his part. G Rap plays the role of Bamboo's (Ghost's former girlfriend) new man, here he's simply talking about how he's run the streets during Starks' absence. The Revelations' beat provides an adequate backdrop for his shit-talking (don't get me wrong, it's quite good), but simply hearing G Rap let loose is enough to gain my interest. I mean, it sucks that Ghost went completely Wu-free, but at least we're getting some good rappers. Let's be honest, I can't imagine that anyone was really clamoring for more verses from Wu-Tang B teamers, although I will admit that I still get a kick over that fact that Ghost basically hired Masta Killa to be his henchman. You know that's funny.
5. Its a Thin Line Between Love and Hate (Feat. The Revelations)
Things switch gears, as The Revelations perform a cover of the Persuaders song of the same name. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure why exactly this needed to be included. Maybe it plays into the story, maybe it doesn't, but at this point, I've found the album to be much more enjoyable if you simply listen to it as a traditional boom-bap set of tracks. We've kinda heard this story before, and this song doesn't do much to spice it up.
6. The Dogs of War (Feat. Shawn Wigs & Kool G. Rap)
Ghostface's storytelling isn't what it was just a year ago (so far, we've merely gotten descriptions of things that have happened, and not the obscure details that our host is known for), but "The Dogs of War" is carried by its intensity alone. The Revelations again provide the instrumental, as both Ghost and G. Rap describe the situation. Somehow, Toney gets acid thrown into his face, but at the end of G. Rap's excellent verse, he mentions that he fell victim to Starks. Personally, I've always found it difficult taking out men as scary as Kool G. Rap after nearly having my face burnt off by acid, but I guess that adds to the legend of Starks. Actually, that whole situation is the type of shit 36 Seasons had been missing. Good work.
7. Emergency Procedure (Feat. Pharoahe Monche)
I'm sure you all can figure out where the story is going based on that song title alone. But just in case you're especially oblivious today: Tony Starks is dying thanks to the events the took place in the previous song (turns out acid does hurt after all), and he needs some type of miracle to keep him alive But if you recall, that doesn't even matter, because he has the ability to rise from the dead anyways. Oh wait, this is a work of fiction, not a documentary series? Okay then. In a very nice touch, Pretty Toney is worked on by (SPOILER ALERT BUT NOT REALLY IF YOU'RE LISTENING ALONG WHILE READING THROUGH THIS REVIEW, OR LOOKED AT THE TITLE Of THE SONG) Pharoahe Monche. And if you're familiar with how stories work, you'll be able to predict the fact that Pharoahe is able to save him, thanks to a badass mask that you can see on the albums cover. The Revelations' instrumental is pretty upbeat and really sounds like some shit you'd hear on a cartoon. A really damn cool cartoon, of course, but a cartoon, nonetheless.
8. Double Cross (Feat. AZ)
Okay, how fucking oblivious is Tony Starks? Just last year, he was betrayed by a woman be was head-over-heals in love with. As listeners, we all saw that coming (even Cappadonna fucking realized this), but you'd think Ghost might become a little more cautious about who he trusts. Well, that doesn't happened and he's betrayed, again, my someone he thought was his friend: AZ. This song, which, conveniently enough, is about a double cross, is again handled by The Revelations (I guess I can stop mentioning this), but this one is much grittier than what we've heard thus far, and it makes sense as we move close to the climax. My favorite part of the song, though, is the was Ghostface is able to sneak in a tad on social commentary in regards to the police. He even goes as far as to mention an "illegal chokehold" which was undoubtedly made in light of the Eric Garner controversy. A vital part of the story, indeed, but Tommy Boy made an excellent choice by releasing "Double Cross" as a single: it works tremendously as a solo piece. Nice.
9. Bamboo's Lament (feat. Kandace Springs)
Similar to "There's a Thin Line Between Love and Hate", but this one is directly in line with the story. That doesn't make it any better, though. Look, I appreciate the effort Ghost put into making this story a little more believable, but honestly, I'd much rather hear him simply going off on a grimy ass beat. Hearing Bamboo lamenting over the fact that she made a mistake could not be less interesting. Ugh, let's move on.
10. Pieces of the Puzzle (Feat. AZ)
Honestly, this isn't much more than a song to keep the story going. If you're still that interested, I guess this is necessary, but this was kind of a shitty way to follow up the album's most unnecessary song. This shit better pick up soon.
11. Homicide (Feat. Nems & Shawn Wigs)
This might be the peak of the entire album, but not because of the quality of the song (it is good, though). After finding his friend dead at the hands of AZ's henchmen (Shawn Wig, who very well may be a hired assassin in real life; I couldn't find any type of information on the dude), Ghostface yells, "I'll wipe my dick on your spaghetti fork". That right there, guys, is not a line courtesy of Tony Starks. That's classic Ghostface, and I fucking love it. I still don't completely love the song, but I've stuck along this long, so I guess its worth finding out how all this nonsense plays out.
12. Blood In the Streets (Feat. AZ)
On Twelve Reasons to Die, there was a specific point where the story shifts gears, as it moved from a violent street tale into full-on Uma Thurman-in-Kill Bill or Jamie Foxx-in-Django Unchained-mode. (I believe Quentin Tarantino himself would've appreciated the flick if it actually existed, and would probably crib from it for a future project.) That's basically what we have going on here. Our host is enraged by the homicide in the last song, and he's making his way to the final boss, as though he's losing patience and just wants to avenge his neighborhood already. Even though we've basically heard this before, it's still exciting, and Ghostface's intensity really brings you into the song, and you find yourself believing that you, too, would totally murder your enemies who just killed one of your friends. Some kinds of over the top violence are always entertaining: this is one of them.
13. Call My Name
If you still cared about the ongoing sage with Bamboo (I sure as hell don't), this serves as an epilogue of sorts, and shockingly enough, she goes back to him. Ghostface completely forgives her for almost getting him killed. That's kind of a bad idea, considering he's always getting betrayed by people he trusts, but we'll have to wait until next time to see how all this plays out.
14. I Love You For All Seasons (Feat. The Revelations)
36 Seasons ends with what is basically a title track, as the Revelations tie up the tale while the instrumental play through like credits. Ghostface doesn't appear on here: hell, nobody really does. But he doesn't need to: The Revelations' music is pleasing enough, and it carries a sense of finality that will leave the listener feeling that this revenge fantasy ended the only way it ever really could.
Rating: 3.5/5
The most interesting thing I found while listening to 36 Season is how much better it works when listened to as a traditional boom-bap rap album. The story is entertaining enough, but we've already heard it executed in a better fashion on Twelve Reason To Die, and Adrian Younge's presence is dearly missed. It lack the cinematic factor that he brought, but in his absence is The Revelations, who are able to recreate the ’70s-era soul sound that he loves so much. Ghost sounds great over Younge's work, but it's the sound on 36 Seasons that he really shines. You can follow the narrative if you want, but its easier, and more rewarding, to just zone out and enjoy the solid orchestral boom bap. Both AZ and Kool G. Rap sound rejuvenated, and most importantly, they sound like they're having fun with it. And that's the biggest thing 36 Seasons offers. It's not groundbreaking, invitational, and it's far from Ghostface's best work, but its fun, and that's all it really needs to be.