Dueces Wild

New York bred MC Vast Aire gained fame as the more intriguing half of vaunted underground rap duo Cannibal Ox and has continued to impress with his innovative solo releases. While Cannibal Ox succeeded by blending the fractured progressive soundscapes of Company flow with the street level lyricism of early Wu-Tang, Vast Aire has opted for a more classicist approach on his solo outings. While “The Man Without Fear” features dissonant electro soundscapes that recall El-P’s genre defying work, the boom bap classicism of the Pete Rock produced “Mecca and The Ox,” a collaboration with former Cannibal Ox’s Vordul Mega, is more indicative of Deuces Wild’s general aesthetic. Relative newcomer Melodious Monk does a fine job at accommodating Vast Aire’s often unorthodox cadences while still making knowing references to the sample heavy heyday of Golden Age Hip-Hop. *Deuces Wild* is a definite step forward from Vast Aire’s 2004 debut *Look Ma… No Hands* and is one of the stronger underground rap releases of 2008.

Solo outing from Cannibal Ox member takes its apocalyptic sonic cues from his main group's iconic 2001 album The Cold Vein, even though El-P, that album's producer, is nowhere in sight; the result is a huge improvement over his 2004 debut, *Look Mom...No Hands. *