The Odd Tape

When something is well done, it often gives the illusion of being easy. Oddisee’s new album, The Odd Tape, is one of those creations. The rapper/producer has put together an instrumental album that’s so smooth and accessible it seems like paint by numbers. Songs like “The Breakthrough,” with its stair-step rhythmic building, or “No Sugar No Cream” with its complete mid-song structural shift; the layering and movement feels so deliberate that you might trick yourself into thinking it’s easy. It’s not. The tact and craft exercised on this album are melodic finesse at its finest, and the result is gorgeous. These 12 songs quilt together elements of deep groove and delicate jazz into one solid sound that wraps around you. Oddisee’s been somewhat under the mainstream radar, but there’s no doubt that’ll change sooner than later. It’s clear the man has aces up his sleeve.