In late September saxophonist and multi-talent Terrace Martin dropped his third full-length effort entitled “Here, My Dear”, inspired by Marvin Gaye's critically acclaimed hit record. In contrary to his previous releases, this has a whole different concept, to be specific; it’s actually a concept record. Terrace went through an awkward relationship while making this record so it’s all about love, women, relationships and attitude. Although, the special thing about this album is that he released it as FREE DOWNLOAD, even though the production, mixing and guest list is extraordinary, so this is by far not just a mixtape, it’s more of a real studio album.
This time, Terrace went way more into the jazz and funk direction, which suits him a lot better than the gangsta type of beats he made for Kurupt’s new album for example. To prove that, you just need to get into track #19 “What You Won’t Do For Love,” which is a top-notch remake of Bobby Caldwell’s 1978 classic. The talkbox brings back memories of Zapp & Roger and the whole production sounds just too elaborate and soulful for any other ordinary hip-hop record these days. The two-minute outro with synthesizer and saxophone solo by Terrace Martin is a heart-touching and sophisticated finish, which would do justice to any other jazz album from back in the day.
On the third track “Thing For You” feat. Tone Trezure he shows that the mix between modern 808 drum patterns and jazz, assisted by lyrics full of dedication could be sort of a renaissance for rap music in the new decade. Same goes for “Roll Up” which features the newcomer group Overdoz and Wiz Khalifa. What you get in the beginning is a modern hip-hop beat with sharp raps and nice hook but at the end Terrace just flips this track into an atmospheric and late-night jazz masterpiece.
Big names do not miss on this record neither. Snoop Dogg is down on two jams, the J. Black assisted "Hey Girl" where Snoop's talking about how he used to get at girls when he was young and the up-tempo player's anthem "Cheat". This sounds like another part of Snoop's occasional "9-Inch Dix" tracks and is a nice fun track.
You find Murs in his great story-telling mode as well as the funny as ever Bad Lucc on the smooth and key-driven "Expectations," sharing some of their own unpleasent relationship experiences. Terrace drops another one of his kind of philosophical reflections that you can find throughout the album.
"how many of y'all have been stuck and have no idea why you're stuck [...] you're just there. I give y'all some advice, cause I've been stuck before. When you're stuck and you don't know what to do, you have to give yourself options, about two, three of 'em. It's either be with this person for the rest of your life and die miserable or step away from that person and open up for what god my have for you."
The up and coming Kendrick Lamar shines on two tracks as well. "Give Me Some Of You" is a beautiful "hey let's get together"-type of song with a very catchy chorus:
"let's talk about love / let's talk about trust / let's talk about you / let's talk about us"
The vocoder provided "I Had No Idea" is like the opposite of the aforementioned cut, talking how badly you can be wrong about a person and how this turns out. This is topped off with a nice jazzy outro enhancing smooth strings, some gentle guitar tones and a saxophone backing.
This record is perfect for every mood involving love. Whether it's being in love, being depressed or being stressed by your partner of choice, or just being in a good mood - "Here, My Dear" delivers the right atmosphere for it. Plus it is a nice example that hip-hop has so much more to offer than just stereotypes and that it's able to mix with other genres. Another good example would be the nasty "Show Her The Way" which is a nonserious sex anthem to be laughed about and it takes you right back to the 80's with the funky drum pattern.
Everyone who likes good, melodic and soulful music mixed of hip-hop, r'n'b, jazz and funk should get the ears on "Here, My Dear" and give it a listen. Artists like Terrace Martin definitely have to be supported for their sophisticated efforts in putting out quality music and this time it's not even currency related. Again: This project is a
100% free and legal download (click), so help Terrace - spread the word!
