Album Review: The Third Hand by RJD2

Give Rjd2 credit -- he certainly couldn't have moved from undie rap to indie pop without believing in the music he's making. It's no wonder he felt he had to move from Definitive Jux, the home of Aesop Rock and Murs, to XL, the home of Thom Yorke and Lemon Jelly, to have any hope of being taken seriously. And while there's no hint of hip-hop anywhere here, The Third Hand is a surprisingly natural mix of his beat-heavy productions and kaleidoscopic tastes with reflective songwriting and plaintive vocals.

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Review Summary: Poppier, more accessible, and hardly hip-hop, RJD2 presents a new sound on a new label where he plays every note and sings the entire time.Throughout the last decade or so, we’ve had various hip-hop artists blur the boundaries between alternative and hip-hop, sometimes finding more fans in the alternative/rock scene than in the hip-hop scene. Most recently, The Gorillaz and Gnarls Barkley crossed these genre lines and met extreme success. Their music lied its roots in hip-hop, but with sung vocals and a more melodic take on their music, they found new ears and more people enjoyed it.

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