Jake LefcoJake Lefco's "And You Are?" was the introduction, and on "Missing Trooth" Jake is ready to put himself out there in the raw.
Really there isn't much that has changed for Jake since he was last heard on "And You Are?", now he just has more life experiences and a brand new fake tooth.
This album features many of the people that made "And You Are?" such a great album. Happ G is again the main man behind the knobs and Snuff is also there to add some of his flair on the production tip for two of the 16 tracks. Panek of the IllVibe collective is back again as well to throw in some of his patent cuts, as is DJ Kwestion. Many of the vocal contributors such as Reef The Lost Cauze, Side Effect, David Cope, and Ohsha Kai are back again alongside new comers Briz and Keisha Hutchins.
Jake has grown immensely as an emcee (though as any emcee will tell you, there is always room for growth and improvement) on both his delivery and timing, though during certain parts things come out sounding a bit forced but to me that's just a testament to him growing and trying new things. For instance in the song "Deal With It" Jake tries to inject a live feel into the song which comes off sounding a bit flat.
With that said he has improved his lyricism in spades. The opening song and lead single "Comfort Zone" is Jake's introspective look at himself and how it's often a struggle fending off complacency, but at the end of the day you have to be able to push yourself to the next level. One of my favorite tracks is the light hearted "Life Goes On", where Jake recalls of some pleasurable experiences that were followed by an accident. He shares with the listener the embarrassing moment of pissing his pants from waiting in the lunch line too long, to him and his brother getting into a car accident on the ride home from a Sixers victory, and finally him getting his tooth knocked out twice; first while on vacation with his girl then from a basketball game. The track "Sleepwalk" is one of the best songs beat wise and has some vicious scratching courtesy of Panek. It also features one of Jake's strongest choruses to date where he chants "I used to talk for the sake of talking, sleep walking, today I found a new kind of rhythm" which was brilliantly placed after the track "Talk" which features Briz and gritty yet whimsical beat. The original version of "Cat's Out" initially appeared on Jake's "Headphones" 12", it reappears here with a much more solemn beat and some slight changes to the lyrics. "Oh My God" is definitely the most hype track on the album and has Side Effect lending his skills on the mic while Snuff handles the beat and Panek the cuts. With how the album started off, the title track "Missing Trooth" is a fitting song to close to the album because it shows how Jake came out of his "Comfort Zone" and "...came all this way" and still he's just looking for the "trooth" in life.
Like "And You Are?" the album is pressed on a glossy digipack and the layout is perfectly fitting for the title of the album. On the front cover you have a tooth laying on the floor beside a couch and a piece of molding. On the back cover the track listing is placed over the piece of crown molding. Also, for anyone that orders the album from Karma Response Unit Records website you get a package of promotional dental floss, which is quite awesome.
Rating: 4.5/5
Songs Worthy of Replay: "Comfort Zone", "Cat's Out" (remix), "Life Goes On" & "Oh My God"
Synopsis: The fans of Jake's previous work will no doubt love this, as it's definitely a step up from "And You Are?". The beats are head nodders and display the skills and diversity of Happ G, and the cuts by Panek and DJ Kwestion are just nasty. Though there are a few blunders, Jake's lyrical skills have definitely grown, as has his delivery, making this release worthy of adding to your collection
Check out links and the "Comfort Zone" video:
Karma Response Unit Records Website
Jake Lefco MySpace
Karma Response Unit MySpace