Sir Michael Rocks is split in 'Populair Part 2'
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By Alex Dionisio
Put together, last year's Populair EP and this year's Populair Part 2 EP could almost be Sir Michael Rocks's sophomore LP, but alas, they were released separately. We'll have to wait on father time to see about a second major Mikey Rocks album. No huge problem though, because Part 2 (April 8) mostly has what diehard fans need to get their fix from the Cool Kid, although it does have a few flat tracks here and there.
Rocks throws out his zany lyrics on the risky adventurous life in "Kilo On Craigslist" with the fun wild "How Are You So Calm" adding some dance value in its moveable bongo lines. His beats on this project seem to either have an acquired taste quality to them in that some are discordantly alternative, or they'll go for the traditionally appealing route of tappable drum lines and commonly palatable harmonies, but this duality of sound is sort of a signature characteristic of Rocks's style. The entertaining little ditty "Uno Baby Mami" is love-oriented with a Hispanic American twist, "RAIDEN" has Rocks waiting like a raider over thunder punches, and somewhere within "Stop Searching"'s clanky scattered drums he crosses a good relationship off the checklist of his life.
The best and last time Rocks gets deep is in the flutey "Woods" track, rapping about the anxiety of getting a girl pregnant and mutually agreeing with her not to have the baby, and within that song's mix, he also describes the evolution of his solo career, or separating himself from Chuck Inglish to do his own thing as it were. And "U Kill Me" is Rocks singing love pains about a torturous relationship. The beat is not great, and overall, it's a forgettable track, one of the EP's fillers.
More than likely, listeners will enjoy half the songs on Populair 2 and pass on the others. It's a solid effort from Sir Michael Rocks, but the final product is not outstanding. The goofy aloof factor is in fact balanced with some more level-headed meaning and purpose, but it's probably time for Rocks to get more serious and really shock us with something fresh and different next time. Think twice before entering this one.
