The Last Legend
Label: Kitty-Yo
Rated: NONE
WorkNameSort: Last Legend, The
Raz Ohara mutters to himself in that put-on way that rappers and soul singers use to pretend they’re being spontaneous; he’s prone to using multitracked vocals of himself as background harmony; he’s got a quivering, staccato vocal delivery that’s all understated confidence and breathy commands. But here’s the trick: Raz Ohara is also prone to plotting out meandering passages on his acoustic guitar, treading in the soft, airy spaces created by sparse electro-influenced production work. In other words, he’s like D’Angelo crossed with Jose Gonzalez on a Gary Wilson bender. Dude, I’m serious. There are so few records that are released these days that aren’t easily compartmentalized, and The Last Legend is one that proudly resists being simply slotted. Weirder still, this is a reissue of a five-year-old album (Ohara traded up from a micro-label to one that’s merely tiny) that still sounds ahead of its time. The only consistency to the disc is the way it’s so relentlessly surprising without being gimmicky; Ohara’s style is so intimate and unique that listening to The Last Legend is sometimes as uncomfortable as it is innovative.
This article appears in Apr 5-11, 2006.