No Mercy (LP) - BLOODLIN3 (HipHop/Rap) We have had the privilege of getting to know this week’s featured artist over the last few years, and are happy to get another opportunity to review another LP. This week, BLOODLIN3 returns with latest album “No mercy“, following 2023’s “Mercy” LP.
Hailing from Paducah, Kentucky and El Paso, Texas, BLOODLIN3 comprises three brothers who blend Southern, East, West, and Midwest flows into their own unique sound. In reviewing prior BLOODLIN3 singles (“Until I Fall”, “Say Less”, “No Mercy”, “Please Don’t Bother Me” and “Blessed Today”) over the years, we’ve lauded the heavy influence of 90s hiphop nostalgia, with the last LP we reviewed, “Mercy”, self proclaimed as an homage to the golden era of hip hop in the 1990s, infused with elements of the here and now.
We got our first tastes of “No Mercy” last year with the title track, featuring Twista, “Say Less” and “Blessed Today” featuring Project Pat. Looking back at our prior reviews, we said of the title track that Twista didn’t disappoint by bringing his famous rapid fire spit, while at the same time never leaving BLOODLIN3 in the dust, who always held their own, and lauded them for their mission to avoid vulgarity in their lyrics. We noted the West Coast vibe of “Say Less”, pointing to the foreboding instrumentation that intoduced a sense of danger to the track and a good dose of whimsy in the vocal delivery. These elements persist on the completed “No Mercy” LP as we note below. Finally, on “Blessed Today”, we noticed a decade jump in nostalgia, bringing us to 2000’s Timbaland territory for a feel good track that would feel at home on a pregame playlist.
Now with the release of the full LP, we get a few interludes, a remix and 10 new tracks to complete the collection. As a whole, BLOODLIN3 delivers a project whose lyrics are as complex as they are dense, and all laid over hard hitting midtempo grooves. The project boats strong points of view and a whole lot of lyrical cleverness that keeps the listener from ever drifting away from the record. We also really appreciate the craft of album composition and sequencing. This is more than a collection of tracks, these tracks are thoughtfully placed for the purpose of creating a complete work, and one with no skippable tracks.
That album-mindedness is on display best with the first 30 seconds of “Test The Water”, which uses a spin through the radio dial to preview tracks to come before getting into the meat of that specific record. Having not heard the rest of the album yet, we hoped, and were happy that, these weren’t wasted beats on a gimmick—especially that one that turned out to be “Take Me Away, Pt. 2” which really knocks.
Focusing on our favorite tracks, carrying off from “No Mercy”, “Test The Water” and “Cross Tha Line” feel like a suite unto themselves as each are imbued with that sense of palpable danger. “Test The Water” does this with a flow that feels like an incantation over a haunting choir while “Cross Tha Line” gives us a monstrous vocal synth.
“Circus of Clowns” is a standout for its demented quirkiness—conjuring images of a haunted fun house. Here, BLOODLIN3 puts the industry in the crosshairs, pointedly stating that fame doesn’t necessarily mean talent in the game these days. Shots fired.
Getting the taste in “Test The Water”, we were very happy when “Take Me Away, Pt. 2”, came on with its R&B infused beat. Telling a story about being burned in love, there’s a emotional vulnerability and sexiness to this track we haven’t heard much on BLOODLIN3 tracks. That vibe continues in the early Kanye feeling “Heartache”.
Finally, we have to recognize the immaculate album closer “Streets of Gold”, which fuses BLOODLIN3’s signature flow with a gospel and motown instrumental. While staying true to their roots and sound, we think “No Mercy” shows a great deal of growth in the group’s artistry by infusing a surprising amount of heart.