Colorado's
Air Dubai
have been building a strong live following since 2008 with their high-energy live shows and eclectic brand of cross-genre rap and dance-rock. A six-member ensemble,
centers around the dual lead-vocal/rap attack of
Julian Thomas
and
Jon Shockness
. The band's music showcases an organic mix of synthesizers and samples alongside live drums, bass, guitar, and horns. With 2014's
Be Calm
,
move even further toward a more streamlined, electronic sound that's one-part
A Tribe Called Quest
, one-part
Ozomatli
, and sprinkled with a heavy dash of
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
. Which isn't to say that they've abandoned their earlier jazz- and funk-influenced roots. There are still plenty of groove-oriented cuts here filled with multicolored harmonic layers of sound. It's just that the overall production is more electronic, more synth-based, and applied to songs that have more in common with '80s new wave and electro-R&B than previous
albums. Cuts like the opening "All Day" and "Coasts" feature the group's lyrical flow with verse raps reminiscent of
Digable Planets
, matched to choruses that could very easily have been written by
Justin Timberlake
. Most all of
hews to this kind of rapped verses-and-sung choruses formula. It also doesn't' hurt that
clearly have some deeper thoughts on their minds than sex and weeed (although there's plenty of that here, too), and cuts like "Let Down" and "Soul & Body" take more philosophical stances on failed relationships and the search for love. Ultimately, with
have transformed from a dynamic live entity into a rather impressive pop studio force. ~ Matt Collar