Ohmega Watts
Watts Happening
With his debut album The Find, Ohmega Watts made a big impact. Many people named the album as one of the best released in 2005. It was on heavy rotation in my mp3-player at the time, and even now I dig it out every once in a while. What producer/rapper Watts crafted with his first album was a very musical, jazzy, funky throwback to the early years of Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and the other Native Tongue members. Well, I can tell you that no matter how good that album was, his follow-up is even better.
Watts does make things difficult for himself, as the second song on his album is, hands down, one of my favorite tracks of the year. On one hand it's a joyous song, but there is also a certain kind of melancholy to it. It's the type of song you want to listen to when you have spent a summer's day at the beach and you are driving home with the windows down. I can actually even imagine myself doing this, but I would need two things for that: 1) Summer weather 2) A car. Still, even when I'm freezing on my bike on the way to the train station, it's a song that can lift my spirits somewhat, and which is sure to find it's way into the upper echelon's of my list of favorites.
How do you keep the listener's attention when the second song on your album is already this good? By keeping things bumping all the way to the outro, that's how!
Watts Happening continues with that great vibe, making this a record that doesn't just please your eardrums, but also leaves you with a pleasant feeling that stays with you long after you took your headphones off. Songs like Few & Far Between, Eyes and Ears and Roc the Bells (featuring Watts' Lightheaded Crew) warrant multiple pushes of the repeat button (heck, they make you want to take off your gloves to be able to do so, even if it does mean your fingers will freeze off). Watts is even able to make the obligatory shout out track (Dedicated) shine. Watts also makes some excursions into South American type music that nicely break up the album, leading me to conclude that he has again crafted one of the best albums of the year. Let's wait and see what he comes up with next in 2009.
****½
