Organic

Derris Miles and Eric Anderson have both been on the scene for years -- Miles as a member of Zero Hour and Yo, Flaco!, and Anderson as a hustling producer -- but they never considered making music together until last year, when they formed Organic. From the sounds of it, the collaboration was long overdue. Life, the duo's debut, is a straightforward collection of head-nodding boom bap and strong emceeing. The funk groove of the album's title track and the pair's slick flow establish the hip-hop-purist perspective that Organic is coming from. The short but deadly "Recognize the Franchise," with its hypnotic string arrangement, simple kick-snare and reversed "Disconnected" sample, showcases Miles and Anderson's lyrical dexterity (the two can pretty much rip on any track). The album's only misstep is that the mix seems a bit off on some of the cuts; at times, the vocals are either way louder than the beat or drowned out altogether. Otherwise, Life is on point and suggests that Organic is about to make a splash on the scene.