Skyzoo from Brookly, New York, is said to be highly underrated – and even I was pleasantly surprised when listening to his second album for the very first time. When it comes to content and musicality, »A Dream Deferred« is a diverse and agreeable listen. What sticks out are the live instruments (violins, piano, brass section), even though they are slightly bothersome at places (»Pockets Full«). Altogether, the beats keep up the balance between organic and synthetic sounds and they often motivate the listeners to nod their heads due to the broad spectrum of moods the tracks are beaming with. Producers like Illmind, Jahlil Beats, Black Milk, 9th Wonder or DJ Khalil are responsible for this inspiring mix, while Skyzoo uses those instrumentals for expressing his thoughts about dreams, Spike Lee and nostalgia for the 90s (»Jansport Strings«). In addition, standard rap topics (money, love, etc.) are worked with in a pleasant way, while sometimes rather abstract and poetic pieces make us want to hear more. The guest contributions by Jill Scott and Talib Kweli are also very enjoyable. All in all, it is more than just a solid album with no shortfalls but instead several highlights. The references to the nineties keep you on your toes, too. Skyzoo could have left out a few of the singing-parts, but still, »A Dream Deferred« goes straight on my rotation list.
A Dream Deferred
