Three years ago, Louisville producer Dr. Dundiff teamed up with emcee Touch A.C., also from Louisville, to release an EP called Page of Cups. Since that time, Dr. Dundiff has also released a collaborative album with Otis Junior and a couple of solo releases, but now he’s finally reconnected with Touch A.C. and found the time to make the proper full-length follow up, Death.

Now, in case you are wondering about the title of the album, both this album and the preceding EP take their name from tarot cards. So, no, this isn’t some morbid or said album or anything like that. It’s a smart and entertaining album featuring an emcee and producer that have great chemistry together. Dundiff has really established himself of the past couple of years as a versatile and talented producer, and he puts everything on display on this album. He does a great job picking just a couple of dialogue samples that set the tone for some songs, giving you something to think about as these songs begin, but he’s also careful to not overdo it. He also does a great job flipping a couple of well-known samples and making them something new, and placing those alongside some much more obscure stuff, even dipping into some 8-bit production, and putting it all in dialogue with each other. The result is an album that is extremely fun to listen to, with a great bounce to it, along with a few tender moments. The great thing is that Touch A.C. steps up to the plate and delivers the rhymes that match Dundiff’s level of production and take things over the top. He can rock the crowd and have fun with it, but he can also allow for some tender, introspective moments, and he can get riled up and angry about the flaws in our society. He’s got a really versatile flow that makes things sound really conversational, but he’s also got a great ear for hooks, which helps make this album stick with you the first time you listen to it. It’s just a really well-rounded album.

Death is the type of album that sounds like it was fun to make, and in turn becomes really fun to listen to. Touch A.C. and Dundiff have a great give-and-take to their relationship, and they’ve made an album that you’ll want to bump all summer long.