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This past fall I was contacted by Danny Swain, an emcee/producer out of South Carolina who had signed to Def Jux after winning a competition with MTVu. His music defied virtually every expectation I had, with a sound more influenced by the likes of Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco than any artist from the South, and an approach to production that was significantly jazzier and more upbeat than what one would normally hear from a Def Jux artist. The contrasting styles between Danny and his label made for some interesting material for our interview, but, not surprisingly, it's led to something of a stalemate with Def Jux.
While still under contract with Def Jux, and with a solo album still waiting to be released by the label, Danny independently released a concept album in July that he had been working on for the past year. I was somewhat skeptical of the idea of a concept album (let alone the idea of releasing it with all of the distractions surrounding the label situation), as too often artists get so attached to staying within the theme of the album that they end up forcing songs into the boundaries of their chosen concept, with the result being a tracklist full of songs that wouldn't make the cut on a "regular" album. The flip side to that, however, is that the concept album offers up a concise outline for the direction of the album, and allows the artist to focus his material into one coherent listening experience.
In the case of And I Love H.E.R. - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, the album largely benefits from building around a specific concept. Taking inspiration from the Beatles and Common Sense, And I... is essentially a love story, with "H.E.R." being both a reference to an actual woman and a metaphor for hip hop, each song representing the different stages of a relationship. This, admittedly, isn't a new concept, but it's broad enough that it gives Danny room to touch on a variety of subjects. I found myself paying more attention than I normally would to the lyrics the first couple of times I listened to it, following the storyline as it went from the initial stages of infatuation to the inevitable breakup. Once the novelty of the concept wears off, though, there are enough songs on here that are strong enough to stand on their own.
Though he still has room for improvement, And I... marks Danny's strongest outing as an emcee. Matched up with the right beat, he's a very capable emcee, at times nimbly switching up his flow to double time to keep pace with the music. Flexing his lyrical muscles, he's able to transition from braggadocious rhymes on a track like Guess Who's Back to significantly more introspective rhymes, questioning when it's time to hang up the mic, on the track Wanderlust, without missing a beat. Danny's at his best, however, partnering up with other emcees, as when he calls on Naledge from Kidz in the Hall and Von Pea of Tanya Morgan for guest appearances. Whether it's a case of the joint efforts sparking his creativity, or just the desire not to be shown up on his own album, Danny puts in his best performances on the collaborative tracks Guess Who's Back and I Don't Know.
As for the production end of things, an area that's always been Danny's strength, there's a whole lot to like on And I.... The beats, produced by Danny and Alex Goose, are generally jazz-influenced and up tempo, with just enough bass to keep your head nodding along. On the two or three tracks that suffer from production that isn't quite up to par, the results fall squarely into the "filler" category. You won't ever feel the need to fast forward past them (a significant achievement for any album these days), but you will find these songs fading into the background just as quickly as they fade from your memory. That's a minor quibble with an album that, overall, features great production.
What I've come to like most about Danny as an artist is the fact that he's a regular guy, and he comes off as such on the mic. You won't hear him rapping about either the street life or the high life, but rather ordinary, everyday subjects that we all have experienced. The fact that he's able to rap about that and still keep things interesting is a testament to how much he's grown as an emcee. It does lead to Danny dropping an occasionally corny line here and there - there's a Guitar Hero segment that may have you rolling your eyes - but in a world filled with thugged out rappers who would just as soon (threaten to) shoot you as kick a dope rhyme for you, that becomes part of his charm. Here's hoping that he finds success, both with this album and his upcoming Def Jux release, as hip hop could use a few more artists like him.
Two songs from the album (the bitrates on these songs have been significantly reduced, in the hopes that you will go buy the actual album to get a good copy of them!):
Danny Swain featuring Von Pea - I Don't Know
Danny Swain - Yoko Ono
To purchase And I Love H.E.R., head on over to CD Baby.
For another take on Danny's album, read what Jeff Weiss had to say about it (you can also find another track from the album there).
And finally, to keep up to date with Danny and hear even more of his music, stop by dannyswain.com.
8/13/2007 08:35:01 PM posted by Fresh