Ammoncontact

Electronic meets hip-hop with heavy doses of soul with this Los Angeles duo’s latest release. Sometimes the formula works extremely well and sometimes it drifts off into a land of dull spoken word and jazz noodlings, but Ammoncontact are definitely onto something here. The times that work the greatest are the hip-hop moments, such as the fantastic pairing of Brother J alongside Cut Chemist to churn out the brilliant "Drum Riders,” which finds the former X-Clan MC sounding at the top of his game when backed by funky breaks and looped telephone ring. Another notable MC comes in Lil Sci who sounds quite similar to Keith Murray at times and stands strong on a pair of With Voices’ finer moments. Mia Doi Todd sings beautifully on a rather moving jazzy slow jam entitled "Earth’s Children” with another string-heavy moment coming with Sach as he rhymes quickly over an elegant composition. Things sort of drift off a little for the last few songs as Daedelus drops by to assist in some abstract beats and Ammoncontact sort of hit the electronic angle for the homestretch, giving With Voices a versatile edge but never really topping the banging hip-hop numbers that filled the first half.