Clarity (LP) - Guess Pre (Hip hop) For this week’s LP review, we welcome to the blog Guess Pre with his latest work “Clarity”. A newcomer for us, but nearly two decades into the music game, Guess Pre delivers a clear sonic vision driven by big bass and atmospheric instrumentals to back his combination of spit and sung vocals. But before we dig into the the tracks, we start with a bit about our artist.
Guess Pre, or Gregory Stanton. describes himself as a multifaceted artist that defies genre, beginning in punk and metal styles before falling into more of a hip hop feel. After making a splash in the Midwest music scene, Guess Pre established himself as a power player in Southwestern Wisconsin through his performances in rap battles and showcases. RoomMates, a musical collaboration with friend Taco Destiny, led to popularity, which further led to underground classic solo release “Brain Matters” in 2015. In addition to being a musical act, Greg is also a tattoo artist and painter.
Recorded in La Crosse, Wisconsin and mastered by Lia Kahn in Denver, Colorado, Guess Pro describes his latest work, the nine track LP “Clarity”, as a diverse collection that comprises an emotional rollercoaster. Serving introspection, dynamism and atmospheric beauty, Guess Pro hoped to create a dynamic listening experience through genre blending.
Album opener “I’m not Peter Pan, you are” gives us the landscape. First, it’s an impeccably produced album with a strong hip hop base. The booming 808 is overlaid with rap spit that definitely infuses that punk sensibility. it’s a unique and interesting blend of styles that certainly lends itself to crossover appeal.
“Aardvark” slows things down, beginning with an intro from presumably Guess Pre’s son before that booming bass again leads what is now an introspective track with clever lyrics. Greg’s vocals oscillate between spit and sung verse, placed throughout the stereo spectrum for a real ear candy effect.
The twinkling rhodes of “Night Shift” now pulls in some R&B sensibility, painting a vast atmosphere and a real dreamy quality, with “WinterRain (Hang Around)” following in a similar vein. In all these tracks, Guess Pre uses heavy vocal doubling to bring weight to his sharp vocals, each line as worthy of lead placement as the rest with equally emotive performances, often layering the spoken with the sung. “Clarity’ gives a pause for some spoken word pontification on consciousness which we believe is Neil deGrasse Tyson, serving as a midway LP check in and intermission.
“High Drama”, with its descending piano chords, paints a somber mood that immediately captures the listener. It’s imbued with pathos and might be our favorite track on the album, while “Bittersweet” continues the tale of love lost. Rounding out the collection, “A Jedi Song (Take a Mile)” throws the melancholy into a miasma for a more metaphysical feel, while album closer “Earlie Goodbye” closes with a more upbeat instrumental that gives us some 2010s retro vibes and closes with a guitar line that seems to bring Guess Pre’s genre exploration full circle.
With a clear artistic vision, chock full of clever lyrics and heavy subject matter, immaculately produced and boasting a strong emotional core, “Clarity” is a triumph.
TRACK LIST:
I’m not Peter Pan, you are
Aardvark
Night Shift
WinterRain (Hang Around)
Clarity
High Drama
Bittersweet
A Jedi Song (Take a Mile)
Earlie Goodbye