The last time we heard from Baltimore producer Tek.lun was last May, when he teamed up with Queens producer DrewsThatDude to release No More Favors. Now he’s back with a solo effort, Allow It!.

Allow It! is an instrumental release that feels a little bit stuck in the no-man’s-land between beat tape and full-length album. It’s definitely closer to a fully formed album, with the tracks much more realized and developed than on your typical beat tape. However, it doesn’t feel like an album as much as it a collection of tracks that Tek.lun had saved up. That said, it’s not like this is a bad collection of songs. Going through the album, there’s not a weak point. There’s a lot of really enjoyable downtempo hip hop with good grooves and warm bass lines. The problem that arises is that while everything is good, there is a lack of standout moments or variety, which becomes apparent as you make your way through all seventeen tracks, which takes you past the fifty-minute mark. Tek.lun probably would have done better if he broke this up into a couple of EPs, just so that it was easier to digest and didn’t feel as monotonous as the album continued. He’s a talented producer, to be sure, and taken a few tracks at a time, this is some really enjoyable music that sounds great on your headphones. You can really get lost in all of the soulful beats that Tek.lun is laying down. He just needs to switch things up if he’s going to give us a release this long.

Allow It! is a solid collection of instrumental tracks from a talented producer. However, it just runs too long without having any real standout moments. Maybe the next time out we’ll get a more developed project from Tek.lun.