GAWDS – THE CARE PACKAGE

Sometimes disappointment can come in life. It can come in situations. It can come in film. It can come in music as well. I’ve never been a fan of sampling a Hip-Hop song simply because the commonality of sampling may be derivative of something even older. While it rarely happens when something with this outcome is derivative unto itself, it usually doesn’t work out that way. Yes, this seems to be a case of maneuvering from one direction to the next, and my sincerest apologies if that’s the case.

Baltimore’s GAWDS – emcee Regulus, also doubling as producer; vocalist/emcee L3; emcee Pinpoint; and DJ Rocky Styles – return with their third studio album, The Care Package, which moves at a steady pace from one track to the next. There’s a “but” here, though, and it comes immediately, as soon as the needle hits the opening “Oh No.” Two words that immediately take me to two different things to ponder: 1. Oh No, Madlib’s younger brother, who rhymes under the moniker. This is just in passing, but the other 2. The song “Oh No” by Mos Def, Nate Dogg & Pharoahe Monch. It was a song that helped solidify a culture, bridge gaps, and was delivered sonically by three culturally iconic individuals. Here, GAWDS sample just Nate Dogg, but it’s difficult not to get the original track out of my head. The group didn’t even need it though, and while it samples the track, it sounds nothing like it. The emcees volley lyrics across the playful, subdued boom of the track. It could have probably stood on its own as something different altogether.

The group dips into a variety of emotions, and they start at the beginning. “New Life,” featuring Clif Love, is a melancholic dream. The music draws you into troubling situations with a lyricism to match. When L3 sings “…see what it’s like/I want you to try,” you can feel the desperation; hanging on with a loosening. “How do I heal/How do I kill/All the pain that I feel? I see my son so I can take a look into his eyes…” are Clif Love’s words that hit hard as he grapples with his own life or death. The heaviness is thick all around this. But it’s not all gloom and doom, with the title track offering change, new beginnings, and new potential love. The words glide across the smooth, soulful backdrop, with keyboard notes and washes over a steady percussive beat. Yes, it’s smooth and sultry, and again, it’s L3’s buttery voice that’s captivating. While there are moments that seem forced, other times are loose and carefree. “Catastrophe,” which features Pete The Dark Truth, moves in seamlessly, with a backdrop filled only with a guitar and percussion. This upbeat number is driven by the chorus as emcees chime in with verses and Rocky Styles’ brief scratches. There isn’t much else needed on the song, leaving it pretty stark, but it works to the group’s advantage. Filling it with more instrumentation around it just may have put it too far over-the-top.

There are a number of guest appearances, and the group shares the love with musical family out of their hometown, like Briana La Barz, Pete The Dark Truth, Richard Cranium, and Kardo The Don, as well as extended fam out of Texas Spy MC and Blazy Green. The Care Package is an interesting mixture of sounds and sonic inspiration that has the group moving in a few varying directions but never losing its identity. It’s an interesting dynamic that’s worth the listen again and again.