Release Date: March 10, 2015
Track Listing
- I.D.O.L.R.A.P.
- Pride
- OMG
- – 4 Years –
- Fresh!!!
- Rainbow Disco
- Brand New Day
- – 8 P.M. –
- Car
- Gekka Bijin
- Yume Deaitai ne
- Waratte
- S.TA.G.E.
Review
A year and a half after the release of their second full-length album, Date Course, Lyrical School returned with their third album, SPOT. The album features production from tofubeats and Kenichiro Nishihara, as well as songs written by ALI-KICK and LITTLE.
When listening to this album, one can hear how Lyrical School has upped their game. When compared to Date Course, it’s like this is a completely different group.
Gone are the less desirable idol elements that hampered their previous album, especially the failure to sing in key. Instead, there is a focus on the strength of this group, spitting verses.
The opening track, I.D.O.L.R.A.P., establishes a take-no-prisoners approach with an acapella verse that seamlessly transitions into introducing a funky party beat. It is immediately evident that the member’s emcee skills have improved significantly.
This evolution continues in the album’s first half as the group takes on more complex productions such as Pride, Rainbow Disco and Yume Deaitai ne. These types of tracks are where Lyrical School excels.
Where they tend to falter is when the tempo starts to slow down. The prime example is Gekka Bijin, which is more of a test of patience than anything. It brings the entire flow of the album down to a grinding halt. Thankfully that type of vibe doesn’t last very long and the songs start to gain steam again as the album ends.
With many of Lyrical School’s deficiencies corrected from their last outing, the result shows that this group should be taken a bit more seriously regarding what they bring to the table.
SPOT might just change your mind if you weren’t sold on the Lyrical School before. Otherwise, this is some damn good Hip-Hop you should be paying attention to, regardless of whether this is done by idols or not.
