Injury Reserve: Live From The Dentist's Office ALBUM REVIEW

Injury Reserve are a rap group from Arizona. The group consists of two MC's and a producer, and honestly, they are one of the most refreshing rap groups I've heard in a long while. For starters, the production here is a wonderful mix of old-school boom-bap style production, reminiscent of Native Tongues stuff, and newer, more atmospheric beats that are more prominent in modern hip-hop production.

Then there are the two MC's, Stepa and  Ritchie With A T, who both lay some really clever and fun lines down. Stepa reminds me the most of guys like Phife Dog and De La Soul, while Ritchie has a more aggressive delivery that seems to be pulling more from Gangsta Rap of the 90's.

Regardless of the flavor though, this mixtape is fantastic through and through, with only a couple of minor setbacks along the way. I absolutely loved tracks like "Whatever Dude" which has such a laid back and enjoyable, with some really funny lines to boot, most notably the one about rapping to the "0 to 100" beat. Other great tracks include the infectious "Wow" and the hit waiting to happen "Everybody Knows" which I can see becoming a big thing if it gets enough exposure.

Deeper cuts take a more meditative approach, especially on tracks like "Washed Up" which is a critique of the attitude of the groups hometown and Stepa focuses his verse on the fickle nature of fans. Another moody moment that really stands out is "ttktv" which stands for "time to kill the vibe" which actually features Richie singing for the entire track, and while I wouldn't say the singing is technically amazing or anything, what is being said and the solemn beat behind it really help the track stand out among the rest.

So without going to long-winded  on this one, I'll just say that Live From The Dentist's Office is a mixtape that you should really be showing some love; there are a lot of fun tracks here and enough contemplative moments to satisfy any fan of 'conscious' hip-hop. It is simply one of the most solid rap projects that 2015 has to offer, and you would be doing yourself a disservice by passing it up.

8.5/10