It’s not often I get to post/review a friend’s music project but I’m delighted to get to do exactly that for Chicago producer extraordinaire, Odd Couple. I first met Odd Couple while I was interning for Chicago indie hip-hop label, Closed Sessions, last summer. Dude is an absolute delight to be around; constantly cracking jokes and keeping everyone’s spirits lifted. He just so happens to be a gifted hip-hop producer on top of also being a skilled web designer (see closedsessions.com, which he helped design). In my time at Closed Sessions, I got to watch the beginning process of this album come together and I am excited that it’s finally out to the world.
Chatterbox is a compilation of collaborations and beats, all orchestrated by Odd Couple. Featuring appearances from label-mates Kweku Collins & Alex Wiley, the project also features verses from Webster X, Saba and Allan Kingdom. In many ways, Chatterbox is similar to A-Villa’s Carry On Tradition, which came out last summer on Closed Sessions, that featured rappers such as Action Bronson, Killer Mike, and Freddie Gibbs. However, in the way that Carry On Tradition featured some of the finest classic sounding MC’s you could find, Chatterbox pulls together a diverse group of young artists shaping the sound of tomorrow. Songs like “Talkin’ Like That” and “Me Time” do a great job of presenting the Chicago sound that’s becoming ever so popular amongst artist in this city. At the same time, however, Odd Couple gets a bit more daring with the strictly instrumental cuts on this album. It’s not often you see an artist coming out with a project featuring fully constructed songs as well as blank instrumentals, but Odd Couple’s production on the instrumentals is so full, verses aren’t necessarily needed.
All and all, Chatterbox is an awesome display of different styles coming together as one to make a special sounding collection of music. My favorites from the project are “Talkin’ Like That”, “We Cool” and “Danger” but I’m sure I’ll gravitate between favorites as I listen to the project more and more.
