Monte Carlos "Fashionably Late"
Monte Carlos and his movement have been flying under the radar for some time now. With new release Fashionably Late: But I Made It, Monte Carlos would like to steer the conversation from him being Rel's sidekick rapper towards his music and him as an artist. With amazing beat and solid lyricism, FL speaks volumes.
Fashionably Late feels like a smoke-filled jam session in a dark speakeasy with scotch on the rocks; very organic, featuring guitars that range from lively moody and somber, drums that pound and rumble and bass that undulates.
The smooth beat contains an high-wire guitar of “I've Arrived” explodes as drums and high hats cede to a mean bass and a plunking key. Monte voice glades smoothly over the beat throat delivery drips over the beat.
The digital 80s synth of “YRMG Young” cascades over a soft-bumping low drum with more of that free style controlled aimlessness. “Ain't I Famous” is a guitar lover’s dream, and there is some truly dope drum work that pushes the song forward in momentum. Rel brings up the energy with a ton of presence and an crazy flow that changes speeds throughout the song.
The lounge feel of “On A Kush Cloud ,” with the brass wind enlivens the album and adds an air of looseness to the album. The perfectly placed track raises the energy level and feels like the perfect smoke song, but that’s for the betterment of the album.
A deliciously robust late 70s Stevie Wonder type bass line powers “There's No Limit.” Monte Carlos add that dirty flavor with good presence and flow on top of a beat that’s impossible to ruin. You can tell that he is high off sum very good green, but that doesn’t matter he kills the song.
Boss man Rel add weight to “Overlooked” Monte moves his voice forward; a bit more aggressive and drops a more purposeful flow. Rel delivers a strong performance, overpowering the beat without forcing it. “17 years & 345 days” finds Monte Carlos goes into storytelling mode and talks about his life and what he has seen in his short year. “Purple Haze Smoke.” Yes, he smoke more weed than you but that's beside the point. The tinkling piano, alternating from tip toe to hood stomp, add flavor and character to the track as do the distortion in the guitar and the ambient brass. Monte Carlos is in his comfort zone and delievers another classic smoke song.
The haunting construction of “What's Your Name” with Trell presents another side of Monte Carlos. Trell’s vocals are are an perfect fit to the beat and that R&b sound. Monte Carlos delivers an clever two verse about women. The album closes with the elegant "On My Own Time.” Monte Carlos is reveling in the good live and overcoming all the forces arrayed against him being in this position.
The album is a beauty to listen to musically its smooth an well-craft. This actually sounds more like an album than an mixtape. It contains none of the retread production that you will hear, none of the hyper-masculine tough talk or drug talk that plagues so many releases. It is well sequenced and well-paced. It lacks an overall narrative varied subject matter but those don’t detract seriously from the experience. With this release it seems Monte Carlos arrive on time.
