Canadian producer Elaquent has been going strong for over a decade, with notable releases on HW&W, Still Muzik, URBNET, and Fat Beats. Most recently, he teamed up with Mello Music Group to release his 2019 album, Blessings in Disguise. Now he comes back with a new album for the label, Forever Is a Pretty Long Time.

For the majority of his career, Elaquent has been known for his instrumental albums such as Green Apples and Oranges or Worst Case Scenario. He has featured some vocal collaborations along the way, though, but most of the time it has just been one or two tracks here and there on projects. For Forever is a Pretty Long Time, Elaquent turns to the compilation album to present his take on it. Of course, this is one of the hardest types of releases to put together, and even a lot of the producer compilations that are held in high esteem are only done so because of their standout tracks. That’s because unless the producer has a really clear vision for the album and is really specific about the collaborations and how they are deployed, it becomes really easy to fall into the trappings of the collaboration album – things sound disjointed moving from track to track, and the quality isn’t consistent across the entire album. Unfortunately, that’s where Forever is a Pretty Long Time ends up. Elaquent is still a really talented producer, but there’s less connection across the tracks than on other albums, and it certainly feels like there is less room for experimentation. There are still a couple moments here and there that feature some interesting rhythmic patterns and so forth, but nothing that will make you stop in your tracks. As for the vocal collaborations, we run the gamut. Some established names such as Oddisee and Cavalier have good chemistry with Elaquent and drop some really solid tracks. There are also a few lesser known artists that might catch your ear, such Jersey’s Saturn, Alexander’s charismatic turn on “Annoyed.” However, there are also some unfortunate moments on the album as well, such as Blu dropping the R-word on “Reminisce,” like that’s a thing to do in 2020.

Forever is a Pretty Long Time has its moments, but it is definitely one of Elaquent’s least consistent or musically interesting albums. It’s a tough format, and it just goes to show that even someone of his talent isn’t immune to the trappings of its limitations.