Album Review: Blu & Exile – Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them
How beautiful love can be, on the streets love is hard to see, Common sang in “Love Is” on his Be album back in 2005. Love is no easy feet on the streets or in the evolving hip hop world, specifically the increasingly popular underground rap culture. Few rappers in today’s cutthroat industry have the optimism, purity, or even skills to create a complete album centered around love and positivity.
After Blu and Exile created an underground hip hop classic with their Below The Heavens album back in ’07, years of questions about Blu’s dedication to his craft followed. Nearly half a decade later, Blu and Exile have reached uncharted territory once again. Although the album leaked almost a year earlier in low quality, until I heard the updated project from front to back did I realize the beauty of their love-centered creation.
Exile inspires Blu to reach his greatest identity. The majority of Blu’s releases over the years have been somewhat disappointing and lacking his retrospective, meaningful, nostalgic lyricism that put this album as well as Below the Heavens on another level. Simply put, Exile’s production is nearly flawless. From his soulful, old school sampling expertise to his ability to orchestrate piano strings and drums together for a crisp, jazzy sound, Exile produced a masterpiece. Hearing this album will make your day because of Blu’s willingness to open up. His authentic content, incredibly natural rhythm and attention to every detail of every line will blow you away. Blu takes his time on every single track to tell a story, to reflect on the simple moments in every person’s life, or even question religion. This album is thorough from the relaxing intro to the brilliant ending so it’s only fair to listen all the way through. Do yourself a favor and get your hands on Blu and Exile’s new album, Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them. You’ll enjoy one of the strongest projects of the year.
