AfroFlow Releases Second CD in Spring 2010, Music Review

A mix of soul, funk, spoken word, hip-hop, singing and instrumentals traveling from Africa to Detroit to your hometown, AfroFlow is back on tour for 2010 and released their second CD, "AfroFlow II."

Pros: I'm bored with hip-hop right now outside of a couple artists. What AfroFlow does for the music industry is what I remember loving hip-hop for in my younger years. Contrary to popular belief (and record execs and misguided rappers), it is quite possible to give a relevant message, thought-provoking lyrics and danceable beats all at the same time without being nasty, disrespectful or vulgar to get your point across. AfroFlow does all three with the vocals, rhyming, spoken word and African beats to seal it together. My favorite song is "My Element" not just because I dig the lyrics and can't sit down when the harmony comes in at 1:41 but because this entire CD was in Shamontiel's element.

Cons: In a DuSable Museum 2009 concert, Mike-E asked the crowd to repeat the words he was saying in another language but didn't tell us what we were saying. I'm 100 percent sure what he was saying was positive, but I didn't repeat it since I didn't know what was being said. Same thing with the opening on the first track "Revive." It was interesting to listen to, but I wish there was a translation in the CD cover so I could understand what they were chanting on this song and a couple others. Also, on tracks like "Divine Grind," he gives names that listeners, including me, don't know and would like to. That would've been a perfect opportunity for a little booklet inside the CD case acknowledging these folks so we can learn who they are or at least how to spell the names.

This CD is 5 stars regardless of these suggestions for the CD flap material. If you've never seen AfroFlow live, you're missing out. Those who have seen their energetic performance know (as the CD flap states), the jump on the cover is real. But their whole performance is this animated. Lucky for Chicagoans, they'll be here on Thurs., May 6, in addition to other locations nationwide courtesy of Pelle Pelle clothing line and The American Cancer Society.

To check out an in-depth review of each song on the 13-track, 2010 spring release, read below.

Revive: You know those '70s films with brothas standing on a corner snapping their fingers and singing? This song, once you get past the chanting, is parallel to that. In addition to the harmony from Kenny Watson, Mike-E's breathing skills are also on point spitting words like a never-ending machine gun. Not one to shy away from talking about his birthplace, "The Ethiopian Child" took a moment to clarify the importance of his U.S. hometown, too. "Detroit is not dead. Nobody ever read the eulogy."

Bet 'Em Up: As with any hip-hop artist, his confidence is definitely not lacking. This track opens up with him making it known, "I ain't new to none of this, I'm only new to you." Although he's a veteran poet and lyricist, the song has that new-artist hunger in it-that or frustration with industry artists. He also comes for the conscious folks when he says, "Fake conscious brothas love to talk about revolution, offer no solution, what's that all about?" But my favorite line is him openly admitting "I'd probably get booed in your club, I make too much sense plus it's too many thugs and wannabes." Clearly artists who are more outspoken about conscious topics are outshined by fake thugs, and Mike-E called it like he saw it. Although Mike-E still denies being a "positive rapper," the shoe fits.

Let Me Fly: This is not a marijuana track even though the chorus says, "Let's get high." AfroFlow is rhyming about getting high off of life and "the love and the drums." The beat had a whole lot of stank on it, and I found myself listening more to that than the rhyming and singing, but all three were complimentary to each other.

It Makes U Feel Good: Mike-E got some serious daydreaming in with this one. I found this track made more sense when I closed my eyes and pictured what the words were saying. It's not everyday someone tells you he's "chilling on the moon with vanilla on a spoon, and I scooped out the Milky Way galaxy." Plus the vocals from L'Renee were so soulful I just wanted to hear her smoothing it out.

Stamina: According to Merriam Webster, stamina means, "staying power, endurance." Those who are tired of negative raps will find solace in this track. Mike-E declares he's "exhausted with the flossing, all this lying, greed and killing" and he'd rather "inspire one before I mislead a million." He breaks down what kind of man he respects, no doubt someone like himself, but instead of patting himself on the back, you get the feeling he wishes more guys would step up to the plate to desire more than jewelry and Grammys. At 2:57 when the rhyming stops and the chant starts, the beat hit my body and the dancing didn't stop until the end.

Love Is Work: While most men hate to hear a woman say he doesn't "communicate enough," Mike-E didn't shy away from "showing his emotions" on this track. He's having a tough love conversation with a woman who apparently loves him but doesn't trust him 100 percent. I think any guy who's dealing with a heartbroken woman can vibe with this track. Kenny Watson croons, "I don't want your love if it don't come, don't come with your trust." Why settle for one without the other? I respect the motto.

Yohannes: When you see Mike-E, he may look familiar to you for being on Russell Simmons' "Def Poets." Although the "Light Skin Did" song was amusing, he doesn't shy away from serious issues in poetry. This spoken word track is about the grief an 11-year-old boy goes through while he watches his mother die in a shanty town. AIDS and poverty are explored. This is a darker track than the previous ones and the instrumental is somber, but the topic matter has been a long time coming.

Hard Enuff 2 Smile: When so many young, black men are puffing out their chests at the idea of being called thugs, Mike-E states, "I never been a thug, proud to be a man, all I want is love plus a piece of land." He sounds disappointed talking to those who disagree, saying, "To make a little change, some of y'all will pimp your mommas." To be fair, there are a few other artists who shy away from the thug mentality but what makes this song different than ones you've heard before is Mike-E's back-and-forth discussion about the hardships of Africa and America, the children of the Nile versus the Motor City child.

Hope Over Hatred: Clearly Mike-E had a lot on his mind and plenty of subjects he wanted to cover in one song-self-hatred from African-Americans about Africa; the mediocrity in education; how swastikas are originally African crosses and visible in Egypt; President Barack Obama's presidency; First Lady Michelle Obama's role for young, black girls; youth violence and why it's counterproductive to be color blind.

My Element: This is by far my favorite track, as mentioned above. While some feel like they're missing something without wads of jewelry, sagging pants, grills and the latest gym shoes, Mike-E seems to be content in his own skin. No flash, just free to be him. How many artists do you know that could make "shea butter on my body, baby" and a "pinky ring made in Mali" sound so sexy?

The Get Down: This track didn't really do it for me. The beat is cool and the lyrics are okay, but I think because the other tracks were so magnetic for dancing, this one didn't touch the same bar as the rest. It's a cool dance song instructing us to clap our hands and get down, but I think the beats in previous songs were better. It may grow on me later on though.

Divine Grind: This is another track with Mike-E letting listeners know he likes going against the grain. Almost indignant about following a pack, he starts name dropping those unfamiliar and does it purposely-"all types of cats y'all ain't never heard of because the industry ain't told you who to respect yet." The "you don't know what you know" blabbering part at the end was a little extra though; he could've left that off.

Motherland Meditation: Mike-E recites the message on the back, right-hand side of the CD flap, "Those who can smile in the face of adversity encourage me to live, love and give abundantly." The message is crisp, clear and enlightening, but the background beat while he speaks overshadows him. Not a bad thing. I enjoyed that one-minute instrumental quite a bit.