Never Forget: A Journey of Revelations is, for better and worse, the musical equivalent of a Spike Lee joint, filled with the same moments of poignancy and the same pitfalls of self-righteousness. Princeton professor and African-American studies luminary Dr. Cornel West has assembled an impressive and wide-reaching array of musicians including Talib Kweli, Prince, KRS One, Andre 3000, and Gerald Levert in what ultimately amounts to an allstar poetry slam. Musically, the prevailing style throughout is a deftly mixed brand of old and new-school hip-hop that is flawlessly produced and leans toward the laid-back and conversational. However, this is far from being a traditional hip-hop record: West’s collaboration with Prince, “Dear Mr. Man,” and the closing “What A Matter of” are slinky contemporary R&B jams, and West’s “911″ is an almost jazzy reflection with airy percussion and a pair of complimentary acoustic guitars.

Fortunately, the music here is enough of a distraction from the lyrical content, which is repetitious to the point of inanity. Given Dr. West’s background and the cohort of assembled rappers and musicians, it’s no surprise that the record is an invective against George Bush, the ineffective governmental response in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and reparations for slavery. Still, after the first fistful of tracks, the message has been received loud and clear and the listener is ready for something a little more inventive and original. Lines like “no forty acres, take these forty ounces” wear thin rather quickly, as does the irreproachable tone. Despite what the title suggests, there is little in the message here that anyone will find revelatory.

One’s enjoyment of Never Forget seems is contingent upon a raised tolerance threshold for unabashed, sometimes oversimplified, sociopolitical commentary. Dr. West’s fans will likely expect nothing short of this, of course, but will be pleasantly surprised by his vocal performances throughout, which he handles with a comfort and poise. Perhaps best of all, he knows better than to parody the style of his many guest contributors; his voice is clearly his own, to the benefit of all involved. If the thematic concerns are a hurdle you can surpass, the music here is diverse and the cast is impeccable.

Stream three tracks from Never Forget at the Hidden Beach Recordings site.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.