Bitter Belief – Isolation
I received Bitter Belief's new album “Isolation” a couple of weeks ago now. When I opened the parcel I was impressed with the art work. The drawing and simple design was a perfect match for the title. The first thing I do when I get any album is check the credits so I opened it up to see production credits from Optamus, Creed Birch, John Barrett, Dazastah and Rob Shaker.
The first track I heard was Introduction, this track left a little to be desired. It is a piano loop with Bitter B saying his name and what seems to be a random Nas sample. I let this play out and it was only for about a minute so it wasn't too bad. After the intro I was a little sceptical to what I was about to hear but an awesome string loop came in and built into Bitter flowing over some marching band style snares. This beat hits hard and the lyrics are on point. Bitter's style fits perfectly over this style of music and my head was nodding like a bobble head. I was glad to hear this track as it got me really excited to hear the rest of what was to come. I wasn't sure what to expect afterwards and then I heard that phat brass loop and some hard knocking drums. I thought Who You Came To See was dope but Move Back gave me stank face so bad it wasn't funny. The Rap references were awesome and I felt it was a similar selection to what I had grown up with. For some reason the only problem after this track was the silence for about 20 seconds after the track stopped. Burning Embers was next with a familiar sound and a female voice sampled. The sample used had the signature choppy FL Slicer sound (not sure what was used but it gave me a smile to hear). I felt this track dragged a little but not because it wasn't good it just isn't my type of song. Letter To Melody was up next and once again it was dope but not exactly my style, this song feels like it would go off at a festival or live show. In Your Mouth is an interesting track that we can probably all relate to, together with a head nodding beat and a sick flow probably one of the top tracks on the album. Dance With The Devil is another good track with a 90's Mobb Deep feeling beat but the only thing that put me off was the huge reverb on the chorus vocals. The Peoples Champ was another that while good wasn't really something I could get into, it could work as an introduction for a UFC fighter or something. Party In Perth has a build up into a nice smooth flow with big ups to Perth. Porsah Laine features on the hook and Dazastah on the beat. Lost Soul is more up tempo with Bitter B giving us a chance to get to know a little bit about his personality. Memory Lane sees Bitter B get into stories of his past and you can't help but to sympathise with him. When I heard The Bounce I nearly choked on my drink, this is probably the dopest Perth Hip Hop track I have ever heard. The beat is exactly what I love to hear in Hip Hop and the flow is on point. Bitter raps about his Hip Hop background and lists some artists that he is influenced by. Chemical Love was another decent track with an awesome hook and featuring Optamus and Moondog J. The Storm is a track that I was really feeling when I heard it, Bitter tells stories about people and their struggles. The way he raps really draws the listener in and you can really relate to what it is about. Diggin Deep has a very familiar sound to an old Pac song I've heard but is good to vibe to, not too full on and good to bump your head to. Who Would Want Me Dead? Was up next and features Perth legends Dazastah & Drapht. The beat sounds like an old James Bond sample and everybody on the track kills it. Pure Evil is a track I couldn't really get into because I had heard the sample about a million times but the track content is pretty good. Own Worst Enemy comes in last and for some reason I didn't really like it, I think it felt a little too Rocky for me. I probably would have put it in earlier and ended it up with Pure Evil but overall it is still a decent track.
Anyway without me ranting about the tracks any more I just have to say that after listening to Isolation a few times it really grew on me. Although I was a little harsh on some of the tracks overall the album is excellent and one of the best releases I have heard out of Perth. I am looking forward to seeing Bitter B perform live soon and for more future releases. Grading the album I give it 9/10 so make sure you grab a copy today.
Buy Bitter Belief - Isolation at Big Cartel.
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