West Coast golden child Del the Funky Homosapien teamed with rugged New Jersey underground producers Parallel Thought once before for Parallel Uni-Verses, his 2009 collaboration with Artifacts member Tame One. That album's casual vibe and nostalgic look back to hip-hop's golden days was forgettably fun and sounded like a miniature block party, due in large part to Parallel Thought's brightly celebratory beats. Reconvening for Attractive Sin, the East Cost/West Coast power team creates something a little more substantial than what came before, with Del in nonstop flow mode for most of the record and production that glides between booming, raw, and even subtly psychedelic. Swinging album opener "On Momma's House" finds gorgeous disco horn and string samples floating over an enormous beat as Del spits rhymes with a nearly freestyle feel, never pausing for a chorus or to take a breath. The Parallel Thought crew brings a wide variety of inspired beats to the album, from the fragmented soul-jazz samples of "Get to Drillin'" to the dark funk groove of "Ownership," even eventually getting into some mellow scratchy loops and stony vibes that hark back to the early-'90s Hieroglyphics material that Del himself pioneered. Del's free-form rhymes zigzag through different styles on almost every song, often hilariously and venomously shutting down the competition or fake MCs. The brutal beat of "Charlie Brown" is among the best examples of this, with thundering drums and wobbly horn samples backing up lines like "You don't hear me though/My voice sound like Charlie Brown's teacher (wampwahmpwamphwamp)/Can't reach your brain through the reefer" and "Every rhyme you ever puked was conducted by yours truly." The song, like much of the album, is relentless to the point of hypnotic, showing both collaborative parties on fire and at peak control of their talents. When Attractive Sin slows down to take a breath, it sacrifices none of its power or authority, as with the vibrating bassline and eerie ambience of the midtempo "Show's Over." The pairing of Parallel Thought's grimy East Coast sound and Del's outer-limits rhyme styles ultimately results in something bigger than the sum of its parts, and off either party's most well-worn paths. Attractive Sin finds the collaborators stretching out liberally and sounding genuinely excited and inspired by each other. ~ Fred Thomas, Rovi

1		On Mommas House
2		Ownership
3		Different Guidelines
4		Charlie Brown
5		Activated Sludge
6		Apply It & See
7		1520 Sedgewick
8		Get to Drillin
9		Blow Your Mind
10		Shows Over
11		Front Like Ya Know

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