Follow the White Rabbit: A Commentary on the Latest Offerings by B.Slade and Eddy J. Free

First things first: in the many years that I have followed the man, B.Slade has never been without a plan. Be it the transition from controversial gospel artist to LGBT recording activist or the conceptual intricacies of following up the A Brilliant Catastrophe set with the equally groundbreaking Diesel PROject, B.Slade is ALWAYS planning. So when the artist’s latest album, Stealth, was announced and released all in a three week span, I knew once again, that a) this guy knew exactly what he was doing and b) to expect the unexpected.

On the other end of the spectrum, Eddy J. Free is a fairly new discovery for me. Not only is he an Ohio native like me, but I learned about him through B.Slade (their collaboration “Futuristic Lover” made quite a splash last summer). After getting into his previous release Star Trek, I immediately fell in love with both his ambitious approach to production and his humility to share his platform with other gifted LGBT artists. I was anticipating I Am the MaD hAtTeR more than any other album released in fall 2011, major or independent.

Because neither of these albums are long-winded, I’ll do my best to follow suit:

While I Am the MaD hAtTeR was in its final stages of wrapping up a strategic production concept, Stealth was birthed in a much more understated, time-crunched fashion. This understatement is most evident in the vocals, which rely more on melodic translations than acrobatics (read: we can all actually sing along to the songs haha). The genius, however, lies in how well these vocals work with the instrumentation. On the title track, Slade boldly proclaims “I almost dumbed down my productions. But now I know better.” Like Beyonce’s sophomore album B’Day which was also completed in a two week span, Stealth comes across as bombastically funking, and in all the right ways. In fact, I can describe the production of Stealth in one word: thunderous. Which of course makes sense: Diesel was the lightening, Stealth is the thunder, and it all leads into a precipitation or sorts (“The Water”, “December”). Whatever comes next, will clearly be the aftermath of this torrential storm. The reason we love this artist so much, is because of how commanding he is (if you don’t believe me listen to “Prolegomenon”). Like the climate, we are forced to adjust to what he throws our way. In this case, he threw; we caught.

I speak about Stealth first because its overwhelming concepts of nonconformity and artistic conviction are exactly what make Eddy J. Free’s album tick as well. I Am the MaD hAtTeR is just as eccentric as the title suggests, and manages to expand on EVERYTHING that made Star Trek work. Eddy fuses hip hop, pop, and electronica in all the right ways (the best example of this being “dOwN The rABbiT HOLe” featuring Bobby Adan, Pryority, A.C. the Entity, and Jayce Miguel), keeping away from the deluded nature in which these genres are often intertwined on the mainstream level. The album has the uncanny way of not only remaining cohesive despite the large ensemble of featured artists, but also highlighting each and every one of their strengths that you would think each song was tailor made to promote the artists individually (like “bOOmBOX” featuring Kaoz). I can only conclude that this is the result of such a quality producer. While Eddy states that he took on an alterego of cockiness in order to create the MaD hAtTeR, his core humble nature to collaborate so brilliantly with these fine performers is ultimately what got the job done right. Hats off to him.

It wouldn’t be fitting for me to end this commentary without mentioning “White Rabbit”, the standout track that is featured right in the middle of both albums. This dance track works not just because the production is amazing or because the vocal production is amazing. It exceeds because putting the song on both albums ENHANCES both albums, giving it two different interpretations. It transcends because the synergy between Eddy J. Free and B.Slade is cosmic; the type of relationship every serious artist and producer should strive to have. These two innovators are currently working hard on many other ventures, but I’m sure when they get together next, the creation will surely be gratifying. Until then, I’ll be following the white rabbit, looking for a dance party. I finally caught him the other night but he got away. The experience was quite enlightening.

B.Slade is the winner of the 2011 Muse Cafe MUSE Award for Artist of the Year. Purchase his latest album Stealth HERE. For more information go to http://bsladenow.com

Eddy J. Free is the winner of the 2011 Muse Cafe MUSE Award for Producer of the Year. Purchase his latest album I Am the MaD hAtTeR HERE. For more information go to http://eddyjfree.com