Leave It AƖƖ Behind
Four years аftеr thе release οf thеіr critically acclaimed debut “Connected,” Thе Foreign Exchange returns wіth thеіr sophomore set, “Leave It AƖƖ Behind.” Consisting οf singer/songwriter Phonte аnԁ producer Nicolay, Thе Foreign Exchange came together via thе online hip-hop community Okayplayer.com іn 2002. Aftеr trading files through Instant Messenger fοr over a year, Nicolay (living іn hіѕ native Holland аt thе time) аnԁ Phonte (a Raleigh, NC resident) completed thеіr debut album before thеу
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Leave Your Preconceptions Behind,
Why limit yourself? That’s the lesson of The Foreign Exchange.
Yes, Phonte is still the brilliant MC we’ve come to know and love from Little Brother. He’s still half of the very talented retro-duo known as Zo! and Tigallo. And if you’ve not given ears to his occasional Gordon Gartrell Radio Podcasts, you’re missing out on commentary that is at once insightful and hilarious, all set to the found beats of DJ Brainchild. This should be enough for any one man, but Phonte has talent to spare. Which brings us to The Foreign Exchange.
Connected was an initial step in a particular direction. Leave It All Behind is the logical next.
Phonte and Nicolay give themselves over entirely to the concept of Leave It All Behind. It feels like this dynamic duo surveyed the current landscape of R&B and found it wanting. Too much plastic, too much “Love In This Club” nonsense, too many unnecessary guest spots, and not enough of that human-to-human contact that used to be the total objective of old school R&B. Sensing this need for something honest and real, they created Leave It All Behind.
Did they succeed? Mostly. Admittedly, the strongest single is the album opener. “Daykeeper” works on the senses like the work Tricky used to do with Martina Topley-Bird, like something intoxicating and evolving. The rest of LIAB — with the possible exception of the titular closer — is best experienced as a whole, from beginning to end. After all, this is a journey. To enjoy it, you need only to come along, leaving your own preconceptions at the doorstep.
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|Come A Little Closer,
A fellow hip hop head told me about this album before I had a listen to it, his advice was to not bother because Phonte only raps on 2 songs. Well to say the least, I’m so glad I didn’t listen and decided to make my own judgement. I didn’t like the album at first with the exception of “Take off your Blues” but now that I’ve given it more ipod rotation, I can’t stop listening to it. This album is so smooth and fresh- give it a chance and stop trying to make it live up to “Connected” after all, variety is the spice of life right?
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