Maroons: Ambush
Maroons borrow from two of Quannum's best-known groups, pairingBlackaliciousproducer Chief Xcel withLatyrx's chatterbox Lateef. Though the two have worked together many times before, the focused collaboration on this nine-song effort helps to reinforce each artist's strength. Compared to the more mellow beats that Xcel often concocts for Blackalicious, the production onAmbushis more energetic, even aggressive at times. You hear that most explosively on the funk bomb "Lester Hayes," but even the slick, disco-flavored "Don't Stop" benefits from this more vigorous approach. Likewise, Lateef's mercurial sing-song flow gets a thorough workout, swinging a more seductive lilt on "Beautiful You" while hitting a brisk pace for "Best of Me" (which also features Xcel's Blackalicious partner Gift of Gab). Though clocking in at less than 40 minutes, this offering is still more than a sufficient tease of what new experiments Quannum might produce down the road.--Oliver Wang