On the heels of his five-track EP release, Act So Strange, Toronto Hip Hop artist Miles Jones has expanded upon his newfound sound with The Jones Act (Part III). The full-length follow-up is 12-tracks of effects-laden Rap, raw beats and with a healthy dose of electronica nuances. The style and flow of the albums bring facets of several genres to light; borrowing from groove R&B and electronica to elements of African-style percussion on backing beats.
[youtube 2k9pQqEAiOk]Opening to the eerily hypnotic “All Lies” the album immediately veers in a direction illustrating this isn’t typical, run-of-the-mill Hip Hop. The backing vocals are heavily effects-laden with Jones spitting over the backing din. The agro pace of this one is a good launching track and foreshadows the bounds the album breaks through. The real life message in the lyrical matter is rife with pop culture references and is a remark on the often, disingenuous nature of the entertainment industry. “Catch Me In The Rye” opens with mysterious clicks and clanks in the background with more effects at the chorus vocal delivery. A low-fi “Wub” vein runs underneath the stanzas, which tell the story of a romp through NYC with the protagonist in the role of Salinger’s famous character Holden Caulfield. The surreal lyrical matter and the down tempo give this one a dark edge and a commentary on the faux nature of the city. Funk shines through within the instrumentation on “Satisfied” with piano and bass plucks holding up the melody. The pace of this one is all groove and swagger and the lyrical delivery matches up alongside. “Better Life” continues in the vein of “Satisfied” with its urgency in delivery and musicality. Again, this one is rife with swagger and confidence. The pace is set to full flow through the verses and chorus on to through the outro.
Jones may have found something within his new sound and approach. Yes, this is still Hip Hop but there are so many layers of differing sounds and influence that it transcends the notion of this being
