"...On lead single 'Southern Gorillaz,' producer Chris 'Soleternity' McGill's swirling sound effects and heavy-handed keyboards create a stellar soundbed for Bone Crusher and parnter-in-rhyme Cotton to warn their foes to keep their distance. Much of the rest of the 12-cut album hits just as hard, as is the case on the angst filled 'Mug On' and the assertive 'Stomp By The A Town,' two sequels of sorts to 'Never Scared.'"

MISTAKEN IDENTITY "Beautifully Absurd" LP, 2004 "You're about to experience real music...." These words have been spoken by countless emcees since the beginning of hip hop, as sort of a defense mechanism toward those that are critical of hip hop actually being music in the first place. That being said, those who are hardcore fans of the art are automatically a bit skeptical when hearing this statement, having heard it so many times attached to albums that don't deliver on that promise. Well, that's the first thing you hear on this full-length debut from Rockford, Illinois hip hop quartet Mistaken Identity, which is sure to raise a skeptic's eyebrows with its 30-second introduction; but the eye-rolling soon turns to jaw-dropping when the beat drops for "Revolution", a track addressing the state of the game nowadays, with its major-label assembly line of cookie-cutter emcees and just-add-water gangsta images. Tha E.D. kicks it off with a energetic barrage ("i walk through the hood barefoot like Tarzan/descendant of Shaka Zulu African American black man/very proud of that I am in this land of Republicans/where the rich get rich and the poor don't get s**t") that sets the tone for the rest of the album. Produced solely (no pun intended) by Mp3.com veteran Soleternity, "Beautifully Absurd" is a mix of socially conscious head-nodders and low-riding bangers that could just as easily be absorbed in a smoke-filled coffeehouse as it could in any club setting; but don't get it twisted, there is no getting "tipsy" on this record, as it is more like a smooth pull of chronic than a Cristal-guzzling fiesta. That isn't to say that M.I. can't get gully, with the bouncy piano-driven "Tonight's the Night" with it's "The Light"-esque vocal samples and exhortations for the throwback-wearing contingent to stop "acting like you don't dance". Where M.I. shines the brightest are on tracks like the aforementioned "Revolution" and "Found Myself", a gritty reflection of the life of the young-and-hungry over an urgent, yet soulful sample-driven instrumental. "Travelin'" is another smooth ride, with Darius, Tha E.D. and Sole himself continuing to walk the path of self-exploration over a beat reminiscent of DJ Premier in his prime. Just about the time where one might get lost in the shuffle of introspective joints, you get thrown into the arena with "Mink Oil", a track where Darius and Tha E.D trade lyrical blows over a minimalist beat that unexpectedly evolves around the three-minute juncture, with sick results. The album comes to a close with the title-track "Beautifully Absurd", a breezy track that finds M.I. lamenting the ways of the industry while at the same time introducing themselves to it, wrapping things up nicely. Of course, as with any debut album (with the exception of "Illmatic") there are bound to be mis-steps along the way, one of these on "Beautifully Absurd" being the abundance of R&B songs, while themselves written well, lack the powerhouse chops needed to propel the ideas over Soleternity's lush, organic beats. That isn't the case for every song however (the double-time paced "Curiosity" pulls it off, as well as the sweet ode "It's Alright"), the hooks on this album are put together well and as 50 Cent has shown us 8 million-and-counting times over, you needn't have R Kelly's voice to sing a dope chorus. Minor detractions aside, when the vocals falter, the production keeps the album moving like spinners at a stoplight. With "Beautifully Absurd", Mistaken Identity has created a surprisingly solid debut album, and in this reviewer's eyes, the idea that they would not at some point enjoy the success they are striving for with this LP is, well, absurd. for more info, check out www.mistakenidentitymusic.com