Break Mechanics

After making a significant amount of noise in Denver's hip-hop scene for the past few years, Break Mechanics have finally released their debut album. Without question, Paas, Q-burse and Lo are dope MCs. And drummer Darren Hahn, bassist Casey Sidwell and keyboardist Greg Raymond are among the most talented musicians around. However, some of the songs on this inaugural effort are awkward; at times, the lyrics are too aggressive for the jazz-inflected material. Take "Calling All Cars," for example. Paas's shout of "187 on all bitch-ass crews" is followed by a smooth keyboard line that wouldn't sound out of place on a Sade album. But elsewhere on the disc, on cuts like "Serious Inquiries," "Nanzenji," "Listen" and "Bow to This (Possum Kingdom)," the Mechanics are perfectly in sync. The true highlight of the record comes when Ani DiFranco slips on a pair of Adidas, a gold rope chain and spits a verse on "Zen Zen." Keep an eye on Break Mechanics; they're bound to blow up.