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:::Music Review:::
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Martin Luther - "Rebel Soul Music"
by William Ashanti Hobbs
author and co-owner of Meroen Press
April 2005
This Music Review is sponsored by:
1102 S. Adams St., ste.#5 - Tallahassee, FL 32301
850.222.6940 - www.flavamusic.net
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It must come with the name; like the civil rights
leader he’s named after, Martin Luther has a dream
that one day; his music will be judged not by the
amount of hos that let it get hit from the back,
niggas that get killed and brand names he drops per
line, but by the content of the work’s character. His
march on Washington has been quietly assembling with
artists like the lukewarm received Cody Chestnutt, the
celebrated Mos Def, Andre 3000, the slept on Van Hunt
and, to an extent, Lyfe Jennings in tow. Martin
Luther’s crusade is to be at the helm of a rock and
soul movement that threatens to expand the range of
black music beyond the constricts we are all too
familiar with. Rebel Soul Music’s title is
appropriate.
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So, am I riding this cat’s jock? Well, I could not
resist the challenge of seeing a brother younger than
Prince go at it with a buzz saw-distortioned guitar
ablaze. Lenny Kravitz goes there, sure, but ol’ boy
leaves me hollow these days… Luther’s offering has
solid moments: "Daily Bread", has a controlled, lazy
Kravitz (early Kravitz, like during his Romeo Blue
stage). The melody is made for convertibles with the
top down on a cloudless day.
"Home" goes into the inner city struggles of the west
coast. Luther’s soulful ramblings mesh well with the
guitar chords, either jarring or mildly surprising the
listener when he kicks up the tempo. "Rise" stays more
meditative and also represents his raspy
falsetto-tinged love of the ‘hood. As if satisfied
that he has shown you that he knows who he is, Luther
sharpens the attack with the brittle chords of "Sleep
Walking." Sly Stone is reborn thanks to Martin Luther
in his horn and vocal arrangements, though his chord
changes (ala "Liquid Sunshine’s" chorus) can be a
chore to follow.
Luther’s scattered ramblings of different subject
matter is more of a kaleidoscope of thoughts you’d
expect from Cameo during their punk-funked, "Alligator
Woman" phase. Cameo did it better, but Luther’s still
a young blood. He dips back into the funk with the
sexy "Lust" with singer Omega, a Funkadelic-dipped cut
where Ernie Isley’s solo style is channeled at the end
(and in the pleasantly horny "Truth or Dare" so
deeply you want to tie a bandana over your head and
wear bell bottoms listening to it. "Ms. America" intro
dips into Jimi Hendrix territory, but distinguishes
itself with Luther’s unique brand of social
commentary. His angle may take a while to figure out…
sometimes too ambitious, other times too spotty or
figurative. It’s like meeting a grown ass cousin for
the first time, not knowing exactly how they turned
out as spacey as they did, but willing, since they’re
family, to keep your mind open. Philosopher David
Thoreau stated that "It's not what you look at that
matters, it's what you see." I can envision where his
creativity is headed. Rebel Soul Music is an
impressive portrait of black music with no boundaries,
not perfect, but worth a listen. So cuz gets a
headlock-hug with a kiss on the forehead. I can be
like that with this fellow artist; we family like
that.
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