Lab Down Under

1. Pump Up The Jam
2. Show Em A Better Way
3. Lab Down Under
4. This Is Your Time Now
5. Record & Perform
6. Keep Going
7. GB In Your Life
8. What Time Is It?
9. 2nd Sending
10. When I Spit
11. Day & Nite
12. Every Breath feat. Moka Only
13. Movement

Album Description

Customer Reviews:

Strong Oz.......2004-08-09

Good...A little too much filler.......2004-05-29

Anticipation and first impressions aside, this turned out to be a decent album. From the beginning, I loved "Pump Up the Jam", "Show'Em a Better Way", and "GB in Your Life". I should probably point out those two are pretty much typical A-Team fare...the latter two tracks feature the smoothed-out Fatjack production that ATU fans have grown accustomed to. The former features a tight beat from Dave Dog, of Australia's Resin Dogs, and some nice rhymes from Ab Rude (Acey is conspicuous by his absence on this one).

I understand the concept of getting some Australian MCs on the album, and have no problem with that, in a lot of instances, Ace and Ab seem to get lost in the mix. As far as other reviewers are concerned, I won't follow suit and bash the Australian artists for their accents. The most annoying guest spots are actually from Bukue One, who, at least in my opinion, is absolutely terrible. I can understand putting your homeboy on a throwaway track, but TWO? That's absolutely inexcusable. Especially when one of the tracks ("2nd Sending") features the almost-equally irritating Ammbush. Ammbush also has a solo track ("When I Spit"), which is actually dope aside from his delivery. Again, my problem isn't the accent, he's just real monotonous and, in some cases, sounds downright stupid.

Staying on the topic of Australian MCs, I'll once again go against the grain of these reviews and say I prefer MC Trey to Maya Jupiter. I overlooked these ladies at first, but now, Trey and Acey's "Day & Nite" is my favorite cut on the record. In fact, it's one of my favorite songs from last year. When I re-discovered the jam, I wanted to check my own chin for sleeping on it for so long. Oddly, there's no listed production credit for this track, but there are individual instrument credits (live drums, keys, and trumpet). Trey and the trumpet actually make the song, though as usual, Acey comes correct. On the other hand, Maya Jupiter seems to have some fans, but I just can't figure out why. I have a hard time tolerating a single verse. Obviously this is just one man's opinion, but I find Maya extremely boring, and she ruins an otherwise dope track in "Keep Going" (with Ab over a pretty fresh DJ Sing beat).

Personally, I dig almost half the album. "Pump Up the Jam", "Show'Em a Better Way", "This is Your Time Now" (dope bounce track, pretty much an Acey solo, kicking double-time rhymes over a tight Fatjack beat...Rude has the hook), "GB in Your Life" (which is also on the Good Brothers CD), of course "Day & Nite", and "Every Breath" (Acey and Ab with Moka Only over a dope piano-laced Moka beat, though the sound quality of this track isn't quite up to par compared to the rest of the album). Those six tracks alone are worth three stars, though I'd check around before dropping $18 at Amazon or Borders.

The rest of the album, at least to me, is almost intolerable. "Record & Perform" is alright, despite an appearance from the aforementioned Maya Jupiter. I really really really want to like "What Time is It?", being Acey and Ab on a Fatjack beat, but I can't even sit through it. It's easily Fatjack's weakest beat of all time. The bounce and double-time rhymes work beautifully on "This is Your Time Now", but the formula just doesn't work on "What Time is It?'.

A couple of these tracks ended up on other albums. "GB in Your Life" ended up on the Good Brothers project, of course, and "What Time is It?" screws up the continuity of ATU's "Showtyme".

(quick notes of possible interest)

*Another reviewer mentioned "Good Brotha Eddie" as an artist he was unfamiliar with. "Good Brotha Eddie" is obviously Eddie Hayes, better known as Aceyalone.

**Maybe it's just me, but compare the contrast between Australia's Ammbush and Acey & Ab when it comes to dropping the N-bomb. Acey and Rude both use it pretty sparingly, if ever, while it seems to be a staple of Ammbush's vocabulary.

***$18 is a LOT for "Lab Down Under". If you're already an A-Team fan, you're probably familiar with Sandbox and/or ATAK. If not, get acquainted. Your pocketbook will thank you later.

tis ok, tis ok!.......2003-09-30

Ace and Ab's are once again excellant... if you want to here what else Abstract did in austrlaia, pic up Resin Dogs latest album 'Hi-Fidelity Dirt' and catch a few more of the accents that no one can stand... ha haaa...

cheers,

Solid release with unexpected cuts and cats.......2003-09-28

By Crikey.......2003-08-26

Now, don't be thinking I hate Australians because I have been there twice and I love the country and it's people, I just can't get with the weak skills and bad accents together with 2 of the greats in the industry right now.

The rest of the album is great, Aceyalone and Abstract complement eachother and work well together. It's quite a contrast listening to their talent/abilities and then the Australians.

Buy this album if you want to complete your Aceyalone collection like some crazed stamp collector and/or don't mind fast forwarding and skipping tracks but I can think of at least 10 other titles and 20 12"s from this last year which are more worthy of your hard earned cash.

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