This is definitely one of the hardest reviews I’ll have to write. There are just so many factors going into this album, it becomes very difficult to listen to it and judge it on its own merits.

First of all, Camu Tao passed away in May of 2008 due to complications from lung cancer. He had a career that mostly had him lurking behind the scenes as a producer, although he did have a few collaborative releases such as S.A. Smash or the Weathermen. So while many who worked with him sung his praises, many on the outside didn’t quite know what his artistic voice was. A Camu Tao solo album is something that Definitive Jux fans had been anticipating for a while, so they could finally get to know him.

The other big factor in the album is that it marks the end of an era for Definitive Jux. With the release of this album, Definitive Jux will be going on hiatus for an undetermined period of time. El-P has already stepped down as CEO of the label so that he can focus more on music, and recently stated in an interview with Okayplayer that he didn’t necessarily believe in the function of labels anymore. It’s also odd to me that the album is being jointly released by Fat Possum. If you told me five years ago that one of the premier independent hip hop labels would be releasing an album with a blues label that was home to R.L Burnside and T-Model Ford, I would have thought you were crazy. But much has changed in that time, and neither of these labels are serving these functions right now.

So what does this album sound like? Who is Camu Tao, the artist? That’s a very good question. If you’ve listened to The Weathermen, Mhz, S.A. Smash, or any other project you know Tao from, forget it. It doesn’t sound like that. This is not a typical hard-core underground hip hop release from Definitive Jux. Instead, on this label swan-song/artist posthumous solo debut, we get an album that defies musical categorization.

From the opening notes of “Be a Big Girl,” it is quite apparent that Tao was really striving for something different on this album. He had done hip hop, and now it was time for something else. Sonically, he’s cooking up some sort of Doo-wop/Brill Building/Post-Punk/New Wave/Hip Hop hybrid. It opens with a bit of a Phil Spector beat, as fuzzy guitar, keyboard, and bass counter the rhythm as Tao and a few backup singers come in with the chorus. He then croons in a high nasal voice on a very short verse before coming right back in the chorus.

This sets the tone for the album. Tao doesn’t have a great voice, and I could see how some people would be turned off by it. I think for the most part, it works fine. There are a few songs that push his nasal whine to the limits, such as “Death,” but over all, I think it’s effective in the course of this music.

I think my least favorite part of the album comes after the opening track, which is pretty strong, but then we get a few songs such as “Death,” and “Bird Flu,” and “Fonny Valentine,” which all are bit weak. The choruses are weak (especially on “Fonny Valentine”) and they tend to emphasize the more whiny quality of his voice.

Once we get to “Get at You,” though, I think the album really hits its stride. It has a good hook, a frantic danceable beat, and an interesting keyboard hook that stays in your head. “Ind of the Worl” might be the best use of Tao’s unique sound, as he seems to have found a musical territory where the sexual dance energy of Prince meets the bleak-world-view hip hop of El-P. It’s interesting to say the least. “Major Team” is possibly the most straight-up hip hop song on the album, with Tao actually rapping, but also features an interesting shuffle beat and some eerie keyboards. And just when you’re thinking you have this album figured out, you get a song like “Play O Run,” which is practically a yacht rock song (which, for the record, I like a good portion of unironically).

So while I feel like it took me a while to get into this album, I feel like its quite good. I feel like the first half of the album is lacking, but the second half is more than strong enough to carry the load. It doesn’t sound like anything else out right now. Considering this was all recorded a few years ago, this accomplishment is even more impressive. Due to the posthumous release of this album, I feel like there are some who are quick to throw around a word like “genius,” and it’s tough to say what those people would be saying if he were still alive. Personally, I don’t know if I’d go that far. What I do know is that Camu Tao has shown us after his death that he was trying a unique approach to his solo work, and he had some sonic ideas that really intrigue me. He stepped outside of the expectations for his music and tried something different, and for the most part he succeeded. For that he has my respect, and I’m sad that we won’t get to see him grow as an artist and challenge our expectations further.