Artist: The Staxx Brothers
Album: We Are The Blaxstonz
Release: May 2009
A personal favorite of mine from Bumbershoot 2008, Seattle’s The Staxx Brothers are just about to release their second album, We Are The Blaxstonz. Their first album, 2008’s 12th Street Blues, was a very soulful collection, but the band returns with a tighter groove and more focused effort this time around.
The band, which features four vocalists and four instrumentalists, makes it apparent from the start that vocals are more than something to sing along with for this band. DP Staxx, lead vocals for the group, trades off with the lady vocalists like they’ve been doing it since childhood, and seamlessly pass the ball off to MC Decurrian to break the tracks down and bring out the group’s hip-hop side. “Westsound Union” starts off the album with a jumping-house-party-type vibe, “G-Spot” slows the tempo down and somehow manages to gloss over some ultra-racy lyrics with Rolling Stones-esque blues riff. The album heads back into house-party territory with “1992,” whose chorus will certainly get stuck in your head at least once after a couple listens. “Almost Got Shot in North Minneapolis” sees the band flex MC Decurrian’s aforementioned rhyming skills.
However, just as easily as the band keeps the upbeat tracks coming, the band shows its versatility with stand-out tracks like “Oh Carolina.” Somehow the band manages to slide one of the best new country songs I’ve heard in a long time in between two of the album’s most hip-hop influenced tracks. The track caught me off guard the first time I listened to the album, and I’ve been back to listen to it again many times since then. “Game Recognize Game” and “On Ice” keep a laid-back vibe, and “Little Big Time” and “Jesus in Adidas” finish off the album with the full on energy the albums started with.
The band shows off the new album with a release show Friday, May 8th, at the Nectar Lounge in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle. Be sure to check out the poster below for more information on that, and check out the two mp3’s below for a sampling of the album:
We Are The Blaxstonz Track Listing:
- Westsound Union
- G-Spot
- MP3: 1992
- Almost Got Shot in North Minneapolis
- MP3: Oh Carolina
- Name Dropper
- Game Recognize Game
- On Ice
- Little Big Time
- Jesus in Adidas
You can find more information at their website, StaxxBrothers.com, and their previous album, 12th Street Blues, is available on Amazon.
