Council of Word
CO2: A Heavy Gas
Roundtable Records
Danny One Shoe and Deep Rawk Dave, this Council's members, come by their old-school sound honestly. They've been making Mile High hip-hop since 1989, and instead of mimicking the latest production flavor, they stick with what they know and love. Example: "Movement of Thought," which opens with wiki-wiki scratching and a manipulated sample of a stentorian announcer before rolling into a spare backing track marked by jazzy percussion and a funky bass loop. Granted, the throwback vibe can be limiting: The closest thing to sonic surprise is "Smoggin Up Denver," a guitar-driven goof that lasts only a little over thirty seconds. But if "Top of the World" is resolutely minor, it offers up a plethora of local references (the Denver Grizzlies!) as compensation. Take that, Colorado rhymers-come-lately.
