Recently, I had the pleasure of listening to one of the most diverse albums I have ever come across. Swift Tongues “My Finest Hour” reeled me in with the first track ‘Feel it in the Air’, which was reminiscing of Jay Z’s classic ‘Can’t Knock the Hustle’. The song led me to believe the whole album would consist of strong and clever lyrics with a laid back delivery.
To assume the album would be consistent all the way through was a mistake. The next track ‘Sharp as the Needle’ exploded through my speakers and set a visual as if I was witnessing a fashion show. The lyrical onslaught was both creative and entertaining. On one bar, Swift Tongues delivers “Tuxedo color Beatle, Lennon Fresh, winning ‘Yes’, I’m so lethal. That led me to question if I have ever heard a MC reference the Beatles. I was truly entertained and amazed. I went to the next track “Callin Me” and it started with an 80’s flair. The hook was both melodic and easy on the ears. Swift Tongues explodes with “Can’t chase greatness, because my face is edged in the hall of the greatest. Standing at home plate I had to bypass the basses.” I paused the song and reflected on what I just heard. Swift Tongues proclaims himself one of the greatest to ever live as if he is prophesizing the ladder days of his career. The bar has been set so I listened to the rest the song and I was thoroughly impressed. The next song “Sunglasses” had a Pop feel to it and I thought was average, until I heard the second verse. Swift Tongues recited all of the high end sunglasses within one verse. I was impressed by the designers he named, which broadcasted his taste for design. The next track few tracks were good, but did not stand out to me. I arrived at ’International’, which had a Latin feel and I was astonished when I heard Swift Tongues rhyme in Spanish. Just when I thought the album could not get any more diverse I heard ‘Seattle Sound’. The hip-hop/rock song was as brilliant as ‘Walk this Way’ by Run DMC and Aerosmith. The next stand out song was ‘Fair Westside”, which consisted of another deliver change and describes life growing up in the Westside. This track was one of the few that allows us to become familiar with Swift Tongues the individual.
The negative to the CD is I feel Swift Tongues gives us his success story without spending time reflecting on how he arrived to this point. I have listened to some of his older material, which is very vivid, but it is mix tape material. I would love to hear some of that fire in an actual album.
All and all this album is the most diverse I have ever heard. I believe Swift Tongues has created a master piece and this is just his first work of art. Stay Tuned!
Rio Walker
Edited by Cyrus Rhodes
