Improv

Improv shows himself to be something of a hip-hop auteur on Omotion, which he wrote, produced, recorded and mixed largely on his own. His skill as both a producer and rapper are obvious from the opening minutes. The disc opens with a sound-collage intro that morphs into a pleasantly pushy, hissing hi-hat rhythm before giving way to “Miss Hedonist,” a soulful, catchy tune with a laid-back but engaging beat. It’s the lead single, and wisely so, since it’s easily the strongest track on a thoroughly solid album. Other standouts include the dark epic “Demons” and “Yollo,” a driving, energetic track with some nice, sharply political rhymes. The surrounding material carries its weight, too — there’s really nothing bad to be found here.