Chuckie Campbell
More Die of Heartbreak
(CD Baby)

Such notables as Wu Tang members Cappadonna and Solomon Childs, Cole Jonique, Block McCloud, and Erin Breeding are featured on Chuckie Campbell’s new personally-rendered rap record, More Die of Heartbrake.

“Speak” opens with Chuckie’s welcome over a tom tom backing beat with slinking strings and piano while “Behind Her Eyes” is a begging vocal of a woman the singer says shows “nothing real behind her eyes.” Cole Jonique kicks ass on “All I Meant” with her strong clear voice over an organ and though I do like the toy piano sound under Chuckie’s rap, the lyric doesn’t really go anywhere.

“Synesthesia” is a big commercial single with a rolling piano and low beat trilling guitar parts, but I feel “Father’s Hands” is even more commercial, lifted up from simple back beat rapping. It’s got guitar, a great drum beat and a strong story in its rap.

The mandolin sounds, big drumming by Dillon Napier and wonderful vocals by Cappadonna, McCloud, Childs and Willie Breeding make “Against the Grain” another great big killer track while the deceptive drum programming on “Ancient Astronaut Theory” lies slinky under a great Stevie Wonder-like synth riff behind Chuckie’s, at times, painfully biographical rap. But boy, does this tune groove! Electric guitar sounds open the fun feel of “In Time” and the piano roiling title track ends the whole escapade, a rising-above-it-all-declaration that’s maybe a little overt for my taste, but still effective.

More Die of Heartbreak is a damn solid release from a music genre I don’t truly usually even enjoy, but did very much this time.