Signature

Brooklyn rapper Joell Ortiz and enigmatic beatsmith LOrange are both mainstays of the Mello Music Group roster, but their styles are seemingly at odds with each other. Ortiz is an uncompromising, laser-focused rhymer whose lyrics reflect his personal troubles and his struggle within the music industry -- he finally achieved a commercial breakthrough as part of the supergroup Slaughterhouse, following multiple unsuccessful major-label deals, then resumed his career as an independent artist after the groups breakup. LOrange often constructs his abstract beats from vintage, dust-caked jazz and blues records, and hes made albums with eccentrics like Kool Keith and Jeremiah Jae. Signature consists of LOranges remixes of tracks from Ortizs 2021 effort Autograph, a highly autobiographical work that featured production by Apollo Brown, Salaam Remi, Heatmakerz, and others. While Autograph generally contained strong writing on Ortizs part, the production was inconsistent, sometimes veering into an overly sentimental R&B sound that didnt always benefit the songs. Signature reduces the track listing by three, and adds a level of grit that the original album was missing, resulting in a much tighter and more focused set overall. Ortizs lyrics stand out better on this boom-bap noir canvas. "In My Feelings" is a detailed account of Ortizs ill-fated deal with Dr. Dres Aftermath Entertainment, with a ragged guitar jangle accompanying swiftly paced beats. On "OG," he reflects on beating the odds and settling into middle-aged married life, shaded by doomy chords. LOrange gets highly experimental on some of these tracks, and not only does it work, but it actually makes Ortiz sound stronger. "One Day," about how Ortiz was inspired to become a rapper as a youth, has a severely dilapidated, tripped-out beat, making it feel like hes bounding across rocky ground without stumbling. "Masked Up" and "Love Is Love" both mysteriously feature unexplained moments where the raps are mutated with distortion and interference. "Therapeutic" elevates lyrics about the healing powers of making music with chopped-up blues wails and rich strings. The albums combination of abstract beats and razor-sharp lyrics somehow works much better than expected, effortlessly fusing stellar work from both artists. ~ Paul Simpson