Sage Francis Still Sick....Urine trouble LP This wondrous album kicks off with "The Time of My Life" where, much like similar tracks by Sole and Organised Konfusion, Sage Francis succeeds to Juxtapose the facts of utter innocence and vulnerability with an adult's bewilderment by a culture of conspiracy theories. This album opener is also an introduction to Sage Francis's gladitorial grapple with "Irony" - or is it? Explicating this album to you in those terms kinda makes me feel like an embarrassed parent taking their kids round the zoo because, the truth is , he's Not really wrestling with irony - more a case of him and his professed nemesis indulging in the enactment of every conceivable position detailed during this orator's Kama sutra. Given the aplomb with which he leaps from the momentous to the moronic, shifting emotional gears going from painfully personal through to powerful polemic with ease during this eclectic collection of songs, poems and freestyles serves to demonstrate how Francis is nothing less than a virtuoso of lyrical chiaroscuro. For but one instance of Sage's exceptional talent, check out the monumental "Majority Rule." Here, Sage finds himself compelled to concede "Reality aint nothing but a collective hunch, and consequently arrives at the surreal conclusion "see it's twisted, in the future scientists will prove that we never even existed" when it comes to assessing the impact of patriarchy upon issues as diverse as: , the direction of scientific insight, womens' rights and the recording of mankind's history. In sharp contrast to such sophisticated social critiques as this or a track like "Come come now," Sage Francis shows himself to also be a superior story teller given the kean observation and brilliant comic timing involved in presenting the Vignette of Middle-aged fathers spectating and/or coaching little-league sports during "Eye of the tiger." Here, the language and imagery subtily blends Sage's perception of these guys with an attempt to see from the perspective of those he ridicules - and he successfully manages to blend this type of track with his more pensive excursions without jolting the listener nor stalling the contiguous momentum of the album.... It's not just the track "All Word, No Play" where each consecutive word changes the meaning of the line/verse/song as a whole which finds Francis pushing the envelope.breaking the mould/ - insert cliche connoting the way he's a rap revolutionary here... Furthermore, It's not just rap for whom Sage tears a new arse because a Spoken-word/rap track like "Strange Famous" proves that he's worthy to be spoken of in the same breath as, Kunga 219, Illogic and any other emcee you care to name who have made forrays into this cross-over sub-genre. His unofficial calling-card "Mullet," an autobiographical recollection of the development of this White guy's love affair with hiphop, is as powerful as anything I have heard by Saul Williams or Mike Ladd and probably one of the most personal moments I have caught on a hiphop record recently. This is a no-budget classic replete with extended metaphors, pointed narratives, mould-breaking concepts, scaringly current references - you want more!? The quality of Sage's lyrics speak for themselves so he doesn't really need to say that I mess up heads like Barbers with no skill" but I perhaps should point out that he does not do it all by himself. sick of kids who can't freestyle without saying 'lyrical'"? Well apparently, "Makaveli's stilll alive killing guys with 'Big' names" - and speaking of "Big names" a man who spars with such underground heroes as Slug and Apathy and whose freestyles are as well-crafted as a lot of mainstream emcee's pre-writtens deserves your undivided attention. Tired of "over-privillaged kids telling me life sucks." Well you need to pick up a copy of this album! - if only to check out the hallariously crap "KFC" which is a one verse track by Francis's mate N8 Ball a genius who rhymes "kernel" with "Colonel" when extoling the virtues of everyone's favourite road-kill imporium during "Everybody Wants a Little KFC!" All too often, the recorded output of underground/up-and-coming emcees is marred by dreery, uncomplementary beats - not this time. Thankfully, The Non-Prophets' beatsmith Joey Beats delivers the goods so that even if you don't get/like what Sage is saying on first listen, great instrumentals will have you coming back for more. My only gripe with this product is that a lot of the tracks on this CDR are actually groups of tracks which can be anoying when you only feel like playing "mullet" or one of the freestyles but it's not like there are any tracks you'd ever want to skip. With "Still sick...Urine trouble," Sage Francis has come up with perhaps the best CDR album to date and one of the most exciting releases of the year. Sage is currently at work on his official debut album for Anticon Records and is planning to drop three albums next year... In the meantime, he says it best with the line "Everything I do is important so I keep my faeces in jars" so track this gem down PDQ or you'll regret it! (c) copyright 2000, Cd Goldie for ukhh.com - Sumo Kaplunk | profile © ukhh.com 1999 - 2000