Regular Columnists

Artist: Phame
Album: "Chapter 4 Verse 15 "
CD Review: Genre: Rap
Sounds Like: ?
Technical Grade: 8
Production/Musicianship Grade: 7
Commercial Value: 7
Overall Talent Level: 7
Songwriting Skills: 7
Performance Skill: 7
Best Songs: Remember My Name, Arriba, V.I.P., Until I See You Again, Remember My Name, Keep It Real, De La Cuna Hasta La Tumba
Weakness: Needs a banging dance track
CD Review: I received this project that contains and displays adept ryhming skills over chilled-out beats by Phame, a rap artist from Bolivia, via San Francisco, California and his supporting cast. It's a polished and proficient effort that offers tracks that can be sandwiched in nicely between the overplayed gangsta raps and the Lil' Jon influenced club tracks that currently dominate the airwaves. Songs like "V.I.P.," "Until I See You again" and "Keep It Real" are based heavily on r&b elements and are designed for distinction in a crowded genre.

The commercial break-out track on this disc is "Remember My Name," which will inevitably draw comparisons to a Kanye West production. It's the hardest hitting track on this project and would translate nicely into a slick competitive video which could put Phame on the map and on the radar nationally.

Ironically, or perhaps appropriately, Phame turns in his strongest performance on "De La Cuna Hasta La Tumba," a Latin flavored groove which finds him rapping entirely in Spanish with fluidity, style, and precision. His execution is solid, as are those of his guest artists Patrick Anderson; Chris Lopez; Ocky; Quest; Gennesse; El Rock; L. Roneous; Cait La Dee; and Genevieve.

Chapter 4 verse 15 is a chapter that should be read by hip-hop lovers and industry professionals alike.

Advice: Pick-up the tempo on at least a couple of tracks to round out the next project. Otherwise, keep doing what you are doing and being who you are.

www.phame1.com