People Under The Stairs - Carried Away

People Under the Stairs have been mainstays in the L.A. scene for years, although they are sometimes overlooked by casual fans of underground hip hop. There are reasons for this, such as being on Om, a label more known for electronic, down-tempo, and house music. Another reason is that their music is usually pretty laid back, and therefore doesn’t hit the listeners as hard as others. This second issue is definitely being taken to task on their latest release, the seventh of their career. Carried Away has a sense of urgency to it that makes it a really refreshing listen. My first reaction upon putting on the album was, “These guys are no longer content making laid back music that gets pushed into the background. They want to matter. They want people to sit up and notice them.” The opening track, “Step Off,” has them claiming, “last album was funny, but this ain’t no joke.” That’s not to say that they lost their sense of humor, but they want there to be something more beyond just the jokes. The music isn’t hard yet, it’s got a smooth groove to it, but there is a tension to it that promises that PUTS are going to do something here. It then hits with “Much Too Much,” with its pulsing drums and descending guitar riff that create the atmosphere for Thes One and Double K to start laying down some state of affairs rhymes. When “Hit the Top” comes on, the party is on, and there’s no avoiding it. Those staccato horn hits and vinyl scratches and funky drums dare you not to get up and dance. “Listen” brings us a great bass line and steel drum sample while PUTS lay down the state of hip hop music. There’s a couple of hiccups across the album, such as “Beer,” and “Letter From the Old School,” that try to be tongue-in-cheek, but don’t quite work. There’s also a few songs that I might have lost just to trim the fat because they seem to run out of steam a little as we get towards the finish line. Overall, though, these two Old School-schooled emcees who have been quietly been putting out quality music are going to make you hear that they got something to say, and they are bringing the party as well. Take notice.