As I’m sorting through tons of new releases, some great, some mediocre, and some unfortunate, it can be a bit overwhelming. Music starts to bleed together in my head. Then I come across the new J-Live album, an artist who has been doing his own thing on his own terms for so long. He’s an artist so comfortable in his own skin and so in tune with my own sensibilities, that I feel like we’ve been friends for a long time, even though we’ve never met. This album stands out.

S.P.T.A. stands for “Said Person of That Ability.” As J-Live explains in the opening track, “As I Start,” it’s about how you owe it to society to use your best traits and skills to improve the quality of life for all. In the case of J-Live, that means taking his ability to rhyme, scratch, and produce to make the best music he can, and hopefully to inspire others to realize the full potential of music - to think, feel, and act. S.P.T.A. is warm and personal, which I feel is a reflection of the artist. He certainly came of age with the classic New York hip hop of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, learning to draw from jazz and R&B to create grooves that really open themselves up to let the lyrics shine. J-Live spends a large portion of the album discussing the music industry. He’s extremely critical, which makes sense, since his first album was shelved for years due to label bullshit, but this is mostly to serve as a cautionary tale for others. This isn’t the only thing on his mind, though, with “The Me And You” serving as one of the sweeter love songs in hip hop this year. The vocals from Anneice Cousin singing the hook of “You complete me” are a nice touch.

While this is a solo album, and J-Live is clearly capable of working by himself, S.P.T.A. is really a group effort. Guest producers include Koreda, Illastrate, Marco Polo, Nicolay, The Audible Doctor, Diamond D, RJD2, and Floyd the Locsmif, along with the work of Live himself. Everything flows really well, including the bold inclusion of “Life Comes in Threes,” which is essentially a soft jazz/R&B track with a flute solo by Rasheeda Ali. It goes on a little long for my taste, but I appreciate that Live pushes us out of our comfort zone a little with the song. There are guest verses from John Robinson, Marq Spekt, and Lyrics Jones, but it’s youngster YC the Cynic that steals the show with his verse on “Watch Sun Watch.” If you get a chance to see him live, don’t miss it. Also, check out his Fall FWD mixtape.

S.P.T.A. serves as a reminder of what I love about hip hop - the way musicianship can meet with clever wordplay to create songs that are fun and make you think at the same time. As long as J-Live is making records, I know that hip hop will be okay.