Sound of the Son [LP]

For NehruvianDOOM, impressed mentor (MF Doom) meets talented newcomer with a jones for the old boom-bap (Bishop Nehru) and a project is born, although maybe not fully launched. Sound of the Son is too short to consider fleshed-out as it runs eight tracks without the trippy intro, and oddly enough, when young wordsmith Nehru gets in reflective story mode ("So Alone," "Coming for You"), producer Doom cuts the power before these tracks cross the three-minute mark. Still, his productions are more beautifully broken than previously, and with the aptly titled "Great Things," he's reached a new pop plateau with one of his most sunshine-bright beats to date. The chemistry is way above a mash-up, and this May/December posse is certainly an interesting mix; just don't expect a Madvillain-sized sense of purpose from this short and sweet blast. ~ David Jeffries