Chico & Coolwadda

Chico & Coolwadda bring to the table everything that's great about West Coast rap, both the good-time sunshine rhymes and the tough-time dark ones. And they do so in a trademark West Coast style over trademark Left Coast beats, and they have a nice touch for catchy, commercial radio-ready hits. This is all very much apparent on Parallel, the duo's second album and first for Carson Daly's 456 Entertainment label. Their effort here is a notable improvement relative to their debut, Wild 'n tha West (2001). That album had its charms, for sure, most evidently the duo's breakthrough single, "High Come Down," with its golden Nate Dogg hook. Yet that album sunk despite the sizzle. It did so chiefly because the duo didn't have all that much new to offer. The success of "High Come Down" was as much the result of Nate's hook as it was the song's interpolation of Evelyn "Champagne" King's classic "Love Come Down." In other words, their music was generally derivative rather than creative -- as if you put a bunch of West Coast rappers and producers in a blender, along with some proven pop formulas, blended it all up, and then poured yourself a Chico & Coolwadda. In a sense, Parallel is derivative also, though there's much more creativity here than last time, enough to make this a much more interesting album. It's a much more accomplished album, furthermore, so that too makes Parallel a good step forward for the duo. In particular, Chico & Coolwadda have stepped up their rhymes. They deliver them incredibly fluidly as if they were understudies of the liquid-smooth Snoop himself, and they're quite witty at times as if all those years listening to the jokes of Uncle Short and Cube were paying off. Moreover, Chico & Coolwadda benefit from some excellent productions here, the production staff including such hitmakers as Daz Dillinger, Meech Wells, and No I.D. Guest appearances from the likes of Defari and Truth Hurts certainly don't hurt either. As far as high points go, there are too many to list in detail. So, in short, "Land of Sunshine" is the big lead single, and it's a pleasant feel-good tribute to life amid Cali sunshine. A few other songs to preview if you're curious are "Fall Down" (superphat bassline), "Wild n d' West II" (an old-school rhyme-fest sporting a great "Paul Revere" sample), "Psssh" and "Life Is Hard" (a pair of heartfelt tearjerkers to offset all the sunshine here), and "Calling" (a true standout that closes the album with much promise for the future -- so don't bypass giving this one a listen just because it's last). ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide