SLEEPER CELL -- "THE TIME IS NOW"

Review by Rick Zeigler

Sleeper Cell is a local six-strong hip-hop group of emcees and producers going by the monikers of Keen, Abztract, Scorpo, Seyce, Silo, and Soulsauce. What's important, however, is not their names but their talent. Nicely produced by Jeff "Silo" Thomas (except for one track), their debut The Time Is Now sounds great, with live instrumentation and samples of keyboards, acoustic and electric guitars, glockenspiel-like bells, and flutes all contributing to the great grooves set down by the bass and drums. The title track opens the disc, with the group swapping the mic as they rap about the hip-hop staples of their goals as rappers and their love for the music, with all members joining in the chorus which states that now is their time to shine. Second track "Move Forward" puts forth a kicking beat and a beautiful scratching chorus that incorporates vocals cut and sampled to give a unique, stuttering feel that contrasts nicely with the song's soulful groove. The group also shows their lyrical talents here, as when they rap, "It's like I was born with a microphone cord instead of an umbilical/My life is lyrical/Music is a miracle….Always hustling, never stopping/Moving forward ain't no problem". "Best Effort" features a slower groove paired with fast rapping which plays off a nice woodblock-like percussion line, with the chorus taking a neo-soul approach courtesy of guest emcee Lyndah Sayyah. Again, great lyrics are present as they spit, "I'm walking through the night/Developing my flow/My best foot is right/Because it's steppin' towards my goals". "Getting Silly" has the aforementioned flute sample and a great bass line, the combination of which conveys an appropriately "floating" feel to a song about the joys of smoking dope. With all this talent present, it is unfortunate the group does mar a few of their songs by focusing on the standard rap misogyny of "ho's" and "bitches". That aside, this is a brilliant debut by a group that demands listening to at present and watching in the future.