FloROCKER ‎– Rich In The Heart

Flostyle 2016

Reason for rhyme: Californian rapper serves up urban revelations.

FloROCKER ‎–
Rich In The Heart

This artist is said to have been on the scene for many years now, but “Rich In The Heart” seems to present the first tangible testimony to Flo’s flow of beats; the vocalists he shares a CD space with are also debutants, record-wise, so there’s a freshness to most of the pieces here. Toning down usual boasts, the singer’s spinning a Snow White mantra in “Mirror Mirror” to inform it with sly innocence, and the salvo of “Freaky In A Benz” is as arresting as a pimped ride may get, yet if one can have a beef with the album, it would be the cuts’ flawed sequencing because the first three tracks roll on basically the same groove. Still, the old-school disco infusing the grime is more than welcome, while the rhythm-and-blues tropes – not only contemporary R&B – on “Late Night” and “Get It On” provide the needed variety to the hip-hop drift.

When the rhythms go boom like on “Down Fa Me” with Flo articulating words in a fine manner to stress social discourse of the number, the “wow” factor is brought home, although the hardest-hitting, heartfelt song here is “Rest In Peace” which is an enchanting, acoustic guitar-spiced eulogy to the artist’s mother. Yet if the wordless vocals behind “Get To Steppin” turn it into a Morriconesque kind of deal, the “hey-hey”-abetted lines on “You Got That Work” return it all to the streets. That’s a very emotional work, and as a first offering it deserves to be heard.

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March 17, 2017