Blu & Exile - Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them

The general consensus among Blu's listeners is that Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them, just doesn't quite live up to Blu & Exile's previous release, Below the Heavens. And, really, how could it? Below the Heavens left some pretty big shoes to fill -- producer Exile's beats are killer and Blu delivers verse after verse, reflective and passionate, all while thoughtfully expressing his concerns about adult life. Page after page is ripped from the book on "How to Make a Good Hip-Hop Album," and laid down for an hour and twenty minutes over some of the catchiest beats ever tapped out on an MPC. On the other hand, Flowers lilts and slinks, like waking up after noon and sitting on the couch for an hour. So how is it that Flowers, the unappreciated younger sibling of one of the most lauded underground hip-hop albums in the recent past, still manages to evoke the same emotional impact? Now that the initial euphoria of listening to Flowers on repeat has passed, it's a little easier to understand exactly what it is about Blu & Exile's second album that resonates so strongly with me.

Imagine Blu, headphones on, teasing out rhythms and lines, trying to find a flow over the frantic jazz beat in "I Am Jean." When it comes together, the finished product sounds as natural as if he'd produced the track himself. In "Mask Your Soul," Blu drops the register to match the gentle guitar plucks and flute melody. Blu spends the entire album in Exile's passenger seat, reacting deliberately as Exile pilots the vehicle through streets, suburbs, and countrysides. Sometimes, Exile ditches the automobile for a tandem bike, dropping lazy beats that wind and crawl, Blu in the back smirking and laughing as he lets loose a smooth flow. It's a powerful chemistry that the duo shares, and even before intention or lyrical content, it makes Flowers work.

Beats are just the beginning, though, and lyrically, Blu has a lot to say -- not as much about getting older or struggling to make ends meet, but more about ignoring it all and finding the energy to just be happy. And although Blu keeps it humble from beginning to end, when he spits, it exudes confidence that makes braggadocio seem completely unnecessary. It's a unique trait for an emcee to have, and Blu shows it off in every track he touches. Fortunately, Exile's beats are the perfect platform for that skill, and Blu savors every blissful moment, rapping about love past and "peeping the subtle stuff." But don't be fooled by the apparent lack of urgency -- when the beats get a little darker on songs like "More Out of Life," Blu proves that the drive from Below the Heavens is far from gone.

Sandwiched between two beautiful instrumental tracks (if you listen to one song, make sure it's "Cent From Heaven"), Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them is a solid hip-hop album with some interesting beats, but for those that find these tracks at just the right time, it will assuredly be something a lot more meaningful. Sure, it's not always flawless, but when an album feels this good, who really cares?

Check out the classy boat video for "Ease Your Mind." 

And seriously -- listen to "Cent from Heaven."

- Kane