Bronze Nazareth - The Great Migration

[Eddie Bronze]

I voted classic, although I probably shouldn't have. That's a word that should be reserved for the greatest of the great, but it doesn't seem as though that really happens anymore these days. Maybe a by-product of the amount of below average music that comes out so when something good does actually come out it might seem like it's better than it is. This will go down as one of the best Wu-Fam releases ever though, so major props regardless of polls.

The Pain Bronze starts off the album establishing his own flow and himself as a man in this game, "and I realized I was a man when/the headline read/19-year-old man dead". Anyone who says he's all beats and no raps need to recognize right off the bat, he's here to hold his own and make a name for himself. Nice up-tempo beat to start off the album. The whailing chords of "yeah, yeah, c'mon baby, baby c'mon!" in the background is the perfect touch, gives the song the extra groove to make it sound just right.
More Than Gold Timbo King drops in with a guest shot and more of his typical braggidocio, "I'm Muhammed Ali/I will hurt you holmes!" Timbo always brings straight heat and Bronze lays down another nice melodic beat in an instance of each guy making the other look good.
The Bronzeman Bronze starts off ripping this in some war-type fashion that makes you think he could have fit in very well as another member of Killarmy with a straight battle rap, "voice squirts cyanide/crack open the winter sky". He also makes mention of the infamous "18 bronzeman", a song I'm sure we're all still waiting for. His brethren Killa Sin, leader of the aforementioned, gives the track a nice little shot in the arm at the end. This is where you first hear Bronze begin his mastery of incorporating the vocal sample into the beat. It's a special gift to pick the right sample, put it in the right place and just make it sound like it was meant to be there.
One Plan Bronze gives his respect here to the most beautiful people on earth that so many members of the Wu have done so eloquently ever since the group debuted back in the early 90's. From Ghost's "Wisdom Body" to Deck's "Lovin' You" and of course we can't forget classics such as "All I Need", "Camay" and "Ice Cream", the list of songs in Wu's repitoire paying homage to the superior sex is unparalled. Priest and 4th did it as well as it could be done back in '98 with "Wisdom", Masta Killa did it recently with "Queen" and Bronze has brought it again with "One Plan" to move forward with the love of his life, living in peace where everything's right. The beat is untouchable, so harmonic sounding in helping to pass along the message of the song.
Stolen Van Gogh Chilled out piano keys and guitar riffs set the stage for Bronze to show off his flow as he figuratively steals the priceless Van Gogh with this piece of artwork.
5th Chamber "Yeah, another one!" as Sunn blurts out at the beginning and that's about as simple as you can sum this one up. Another banger with multiple guest shots from the Wu. What's new, hey? Same ole', same ole' and you know we love it! Except this time you get the bonus of Sean Peeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! A song like this is so symplistic and raw; as P lets you know, "I write a rap in a minute, n****s dig it for years!", it just fits right in there to add more weight to an already jam packed album.
Good Morning (A Nice Hell) As flutes play harmoniously in the backdrop, Bronze appears to be taking a walk and paints the bleak picture that surrounds him of so many in their daily life. The good, the bad and the ugly, Bronze seems to want to put his positive spin on whatever happens, even though others might not want him to. "That's how it goes," sums up Bronze.
Rare Breed The peak of Bronze's ability to manipulate a vocal sample may never be reached, but he comes as close to maxing out on this joint as can be done. The beat is so good on this song, it almost makes you forget to listen to the words that guest MC "Phillie" is spitting as the song intros. It's so thickly layered and perfectly plotted, it almost blows the mind of a fan with no musical ability such as myself to think how he came up with it. The lyrical side of the song is really just as good, once you're able to get past the sound infecting your brain. Some songs "bridge the gap" but the more you listen to this one, it becomes clear it is the solid foundation for a great album that you find at either end of that bridge.
Hear What I Say! Real Wu fans, the hardcore, know Bronze is likely the most underrated artist in the game today. The entire song has Bronze recognizing his place in the game "I'll probably never be as big as Slim Shady or Jay-Z" and that even though most people will never give him the chance he deserves, it doesn't mean he isn't one of the best. "I'm like Van Gogh's paintings, you'll never hear my talents/It's the sound of neglect that makes me green with malice." You know through his beats and rhymes that he cares about what he does and that he's got no intention of not continuing to grind and bring his magic to his true fans. A tight bass line is carried with the "Ohh, hear what I say!" vocal sample that typifies the song. After all, Bronze just wants you to hear what he has to say.
Black Royalty The horns, the horns, the horns. Bronze continues to show his ability to craft the perfect backdrops for each and every opus he produces. The consistency in the vocal sampling and ability to make it sound not good, but mind-infecting, is displayed once again on this track. His lyrical ability is the one thing I heard knocked from time to time, but this album puts that to rest as well. He is overall, one of the best thing Wu-related, we have going right now. And don't kid yourself, he knows it, "They ask who's the Wu-Tang poet, so graphic/They sent him towards the wise man, and he came to Nazareth."
Detroit Bronze shows his multi-dimensional talents with a "cool out"-type sounding song. Along with fellow Michigan-state MC's, Phillie and Kevlaar, Bronze takes time out here to pay homage to his homeland, with the simply titled, "Detroit."
$ (aka Cash Rule) We all know the Wu's obsession with c.r.e.a.m. and letting us know how they feel about it. Bronze takes his own shot here, letting you know as the end of the song so aptly wraps up, "Make that money, but don't let that money make you."
Poem Burial Ground After going almost low-key for two tracks, Bronze gets back up in it with a nice battle rap. The beat is more blaze from Bronze who tortures another vocal sample into submission.
The Great Migration The title track probably deviates from the rest of the album moreso than I could have imagined. A slow organ sound, no bassline at all, almost like something you would hear in a horror movie where the kid goes to the circus, makes friends with the creepy clown and never comes back. Bronze closes out the album with a simple sung vocal sample, "oohhh, I want you to know, my life is yours to share..."

The last few tracks do tail off a bit from the rest of the album, but all-in-all, I'm sure this will get marked as one of the best Wu-fam albums.
By far the best we've heard in a long time. I'd give it a 9/10.