Review Summary: The X-Ecutioners have abandoned their trademark sound, and left many empty spaces in the process.
I've always had a gift for turntabilism. There was a certain magic about it, even if it was based on scratching your grandma's expired Bruce Springsteen vinyls. A lot of hype eventually built into what would soon be known as "Scratch Music". I didn't believe it myself at first. How could such a genre come to be? Then again, how could country music gain such popularity? One sunny day, I seated myself down in front of an old turntable rack, pulled out some Tupac records and scratched all night. My love for the genre was regained. In fact, I loved it so much it made me walk to the corner store and grab a professional DJ scratch session, and I happened to pass The X-Ecutioners "Revolutions" album. I bought it, brought it home, played it and was satisfied. But then I began to realise, what was all this meant for? It sounded exactly the same as my own recording sessions. So I broke down in tears, and prayed to God I would get back my $15.
This pretty much sums up the review for "Revolutions", or at least what it tells you; Anyone can make this music. No real skill is involved, besides having lightning-quick reflexes and nuero-transmiters faster than a cyber athlete. The X-Ecutioners are one of the leading, and probably most well known underground scratch DJ's, ever since erupting in the likes of rock and rap fans alike. However, their music does not appeal to such a level. Little is known about the music, other than the occasional "Yo Momma" scratches thrown in for dramatic effect. "Revolutions" does not exactly live up to its counterparts. The songs are extremely well-mixed, and the featured artists are a little more than just flash candy. All of it is blended in an ever-changing scratch-o-mania, oozing out and screaming old skool phat beats. Thats what this album is aimed at, but doesn't get to the point at all. What sounds like the work of 3 major pro-DJ's at the top of their game, is just a little more than a fat guy in a basement making noises with his zipper.
Don't get me wrong, the music is brilliant to listen to when you feel down and sad. It stimulates, feels refreshing, and keeps you well-balanced on emotions. "Ill Bill" is a standout track, well known for being on those cheesy Cartoon Network adverts. The scratching is superb, whizzing space beats and trick-it-out flash. "Space Invaders", although completely instrumental, lives up to the album name even if the featured artists on some songs do nothing except drag in mainstream audiences (Fat Joe sucks). "(Even) More Human Than Human" is a Rob Zombie remix, and a very impressive one at that. A lot of the bells and whistles are thrown in here, especially the infamous synth-scratch fade out.
What "Revolutions" does, and ultimately fails, is trying to combine the elements of hip-hop into a very mediocre sound. The skits are a huge killjoy, though, which are often hilarious and thought-provoking. "Built From Scratch" is in a league of its own, being my own personal favorite. "Revolutions" seems like a huge road block for the group, and their music is growing into boredom and repetitiveness. More variation could've made this a worthwhile experience, but fails at being an acceptable hip-hop CD.
