The Third Way is a colorful and joyous celebration of the various strands of African-American musical tradition, drawing alternately on classic hip hop, reggae, Latin jazz, bebop, and big band sounds, and its a pure blast from start to finish.
The world of hip-hop has changed radically in the last 20 years but its that very distance that makes this album sound not so much like a blast from the past in terms of style, but rather a breath of fresh air.
A fine jazz-rap sequel to the original, arriving 20 years after the first. Superb, thoughtful production.
These 14 tracks serve as a passage way to better days of yore when hip hop was done for fun, not profit.
The results are at times simply spectacular. Geoff Wilkinson and The Third Way hit all the right notes.
Wilkinson's production is silky tight, a sparkling, fresh melding of old school jazz with modern day perspectives.
Us3 has brought jazz back to the forefront of lyricism and Hip-Hop, with a deep emphasis on the culture that makes them who they are.
