 Everlast "What It's Like" was undoubtedly one of the most overplayed songs of 1999, second perhaps only to "Fly Away" by Lenny Kravitz. It's a great song, the reason I bought this CD in the first place, and the sole reason most of America knows Everlast. A smaller but significant segment of the population knows that Everlast was the frontman for House Of Pain, who went huge in 1992 with "Jump Around." I'm in the even smaller segment that knows that Everlast had his beginnings as a teenager with Ice-T's "Rhyme Syndicate" back in the late 80s, appearing on a couple ensemble cuts on Ice-T albums, and then releasing his first solo album Forever Everlasting. It sported one beyond minor hit, "I Got The Knack," with a "cleverly" sampled "My Sharona" for its hook. After that, it went nowhere. Wait, wasn't I making a point about this album? Oh, yeah, why I bought it. When it was first released, and had yet to be embraced by radio stations across every format imaginable ("Coming up on KFUO – Prokofiev, Mussorgsky, and Everlast!"), "What's It Like" was a pretty cool song. Knowing who Everlast was, and knowing at least a bit of his history, it was pretty amazing for me to hear him doing this acoustical thing. I was interested enough that I picked up the CD. In retrospect, I'm still not sure whether this was a bad idea, nor whether I should have known it going in. The disc leads off whimsically enough, with an abbreviated number called "White Boy Is Back," which is basically some black female singers going on about how "The white boy is back, don't you know he can never be wack" and so on. A pretty typical hip-hop album throwaway opener. The first proper track, "Money (Dollar Bill)" is a fair enough, if not particularly adventurous or original, song about one of the most tried and true hip-hop subjects. It does garner points, however, with the line: "I remove MCs like tumors/The lies and the rumors/Got me thinkin' of this dub/By Timex Social Club."It's a bit sloppy, fading out while Everlast is clearly still rapping, and in the middle of a verse no less. "Ends" as the second single … it's much like "What It's Like." Again, the song doesn't tread any uncharted territory, basically saying that people will do whatever they have to do to get what they want. "The ends justify the means," get it? Yeah, I got it. "What It's Like" is next, and as mentioned more previously, it's a great song that got beaten down by overplaying. I won't get into the song itself, since you've heard it, even if you think you haven't. It's here the tracks begin to blur by; "Get Down" is a slightly-above-average rap tune. Sen Dog from Cypress Hill appears on the first of a few tracks that feature answering machine messages left by various hip-hop people, and "Tired" becomes precisely that after a few listens. "Hot To Death" is Everlast trying his hand at the metal / hip-hop combination that everyone and their Uncle Herb (i.e. Korn, Limp Bizkit, Deftones, Kid Rock, etc.) is doing these days. "Painkillers" is a storytelling tune, with Everlast detailing an incident in which he returns to the ritzy hotel where he is staying to find it being robbed. He finds himself shot after mouthing off to the robbers, which leads to an addiction to painkillers, hence the title. The track isn't bad, but it's most notable for beginning with him smoking a blunt, since you can't be a hip-hop star without being an incredible pothead anymore, and for the spoken interlude in the middle. Everlast is told by his doctor that the bullet has grazed his spine. Everlast asks for more information, and the doctor answers, "Well … suffice to say that you won't be jumping around any more." Damn, no House of Pain reunion tour, then. The blurring just gets worse from here, as the rest of the tracks waver from average to slightly-above-average, none really managing to be particularly memorable. Prince Paul, who will be instantly known to fans of De La Soul or 3rd Bass checks in with an answering machine message. "Praise The Lord" is unmemorable, and "Today (Watch Me Shine)" is another radio-friendly acoustical bit in the "What It's Like" vein, and it's alright. It does feature Bronx Style Bob, who as far as I know has only appeared on some of the same Rhyme Syndicate ensemble bits as Everlast. Guru from the old-school rap group Gang Starr leaves the third and final message, then another filler song, "Death Comes Callin'." Two more pretty decent songs are next, "Funky Beat," a nice little old-school jam, and "The Letter," a post break-up letter to a girlfriend backed with a cool piano loop. The last two tracks, "7 Years" and "Next Man" (a CD only bonus track) are just pretty much just there, which is what this CD ends up being after a few spins. It's well made enough, and Everlast is talented enough that I never feel absolutely compelled to turn it off. Problem is, I'm not really compelled to pick it up and listen to it, either. I'm going to debate for a while over whether this one goes to the used CD shop in the purge I'm currently planning, along with my Nirvana CDs. I wish I could sell back my early 90s memories as well.
Review by Mario Speedwagon |