Strange Journey, Vol. One

iTunes Review

A three-man crew from Kentucky, Cunninlynguists have come a long way since their humble beginnings on the decent if unexceptional 2001 debut Will Rap for Food. Refining their sound and shying away from indie-rap cliches, they've been steadily improving with each release, and their fanbase has grown exponentially, due in large part to the (relatively) massive success of 2006's A Piece of Strange, and live shows with big-name performers both in and out of the hip-hop stratosphere. The backbone of their sound is Kno, an immensely talented producer with a gift for unearthing obscure samples from any/every style of music, (psychedelic, country, folk, whatever), and reconstructing them into fantastic tracks. He rhymes alongside Deacon the Villain and Natti, and together they create unique and compelling songs that are distinctly Southern but far from Crunk, soulful though never cheesy, underground yet still accessible. Strange Journey, Vol. One is a concept album that revolves around life on the road, featuring quality collaborations with like-minded artists including Killer Mike, Slug, PackFM, and Hilltop Hoods.