Quickly becoming one of the most prominent labels in hip-hop, Mello Music Group brings us the latest addition to their instrumental series by way of The Orchid Days by L’Orange. L’Orange has a unique style (along with his unique name) that involves an abundance of jazz samples in his work. When done right, this fusing of genres can create some truly beautiful hip-hop. When done wrong however, it can sound disoriented or synthetic and causes a rough listening experience.
After his recent work with rapper Stik Figa, L’Orange had a lot of momentum heading into the release of this album. Those who are familiar with his work know that his production style is usually filled with a tracks that are slow, dark, smoky, and gray in their sound. Having those characteristics in an album is fine, the problem is when the album is bogged down with those qualities, which is the downfall of The Orchid Days.
Since this album is heavily flooded with jazz cuts and influences, here is a jazz parable to help readers better understand why this album is just too eccentric: Miles Davis was widely criticized for his sound towards the end of his career because his sound was so bizarre and unconventional that it turned a lot of people off. Even though it was Miles Davis, the same man who created The Birth of the Cool, many people just could not get into his newer sound. The Orchid Days is similar in this instance, for it brings a sound that many may not get into. The album just seems to have no direction and its overuse of spoken word samples gets tiring.
Though The Orchid Days is a notch below par, it does excel on the tracks that feature an emcee. On the album, you’ll hear verses from Homeboy Sandman, Blu, Jeremiah Jae, and Billy Woods. On the separate tracks these artists are featured, the beats sound tailored for the various rappers’ styles. The track featuring Blu (“Need You”) sounded like something Blu would have on his album, and that can be said for all the tracks that featured an artist.
Another strong point on this album is its combining of genres. Jazz once ruled the nation with its boundless style and the fact that artists were able to express themselves within their distinct sound. Lately, hip-hop has been taking a similar path with the ever-expanding glossary of lyricists and producers who don’t strive to make rap, but to make genuinely good music. L’Orange can be commended for having his own sound and sticking to it. Whether or not his style is loved by everyone, he makes music he enjoys and not only can that be heard through the duration of the album, but it is also the only thing that matters at the end of the day.
The Orchid Days is far from being the next big instrumental album released under Mello Music Group. His jazz-infused sound is simply too aberrant and causes a difficult listen. However, the tracks that feature an emcee sound really satisfying. The beats seem molded to fit the artists style, so maybe a compilation album should be next for L’Orange. The length of the album may have played a role in the dragging feel given off, but at least L’Orange doesn’t change his style for people’s ears. That is a rare quality in this industry and besides, it’s much more satisfying supporting an artist who is true to themselves, and for that I applaud L’Orange.
