P.M. Dawn - Of The Heart, Of the Soul And Of The Cross: The Utopian Experience (1991)

About 10 years ago, I found this disc in the clearance bin for $1. How could I pass that up? Turns out it was a dollar well-spent. Just as hip-hop was turning harder, P.M. Dawn went the other way, making otherworldly soundscapes that were more melodic and less percussive while having gnostically spiritual, troubled lyrics. The duo was definitely more interested in making a genre-redefining artistic statement than selling records which is a good thing since, unfortunately, their music never sold like it probably should have. Prince Be moves so smoothly between singing and speech that you won't even notice the switch. I enjoy it and I'm definitely not a hip-hop guy (or would this music be considered post-hip-hop?).

Press of the time:

• Stereo Review: "light years beyond anything else in the genre"
• CashBox: "Damn, this album is crazy-dope!"
• Billboard: "a startlingly deep and satisfying record"
• Entertainment Weekly (A): "P.M. Dawn point toward a new world for rap, in which full and lush sounds are heard next to the stark and harder style of today."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #48
• Billboard R&B: #29

Tracks: I usually listen to this one top-to-bottom, but my favorite track is Reality Used To Be A Friend Of Mine. Running a close second is the #1 hit Set Adrift On Memory Bliss which smartly samples the great Spandau Ballet song True (you should also seek out the Richie Rich Mix of the song). Also good are To Serenade A Rainbow, Even After I Die, and Beautiful. The dance collaboration with DJ Todd Terry, Shake, is so out of character for this group and for this album; I can't ever decide if I like it or not.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I discovered Reality Used To Be A Friend Of Mine when it appeared in the horrid 1992 movie Encino Man, starring Brendan Fraser, Sean Astin, and Pauly Shore. Ever since I first heard the song, the chorus will repeat itself in my head when things aren't going my way.

Previously revisited for the blog:
The Bliss Album...? (1993)

P.M. Dawn - The Bliss Album...? (1993)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a cassette tape, later replaced by a CD.

I'm not sure in which genre you'd place this group. Could be hip-hop, rap, r&b, new age, or something else. To me, its just good pop music with fairly decent songwriting. Very ethereal in some places. I never understood why this duo didn't become as popular as De La Soul. This release has aged well for the most part, but there are some tracks that scream early '90s hip-hop with heavy samples. It is representative of it's time to be sure. Even though it seems to be presented as a theme album, it's not a very cohesive album and falls apart near the end. The first two-thirds are solid, though.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #30
• Billboard R&B: #23

Tracks: The first half of the disc is good, but the cover of The Beatles' Norwegian Wood isn't as good as I would have hoped. They redeem themselves on the strong single Looking Through Patient Eyes which samples George Michael's song, Father Figure. A song recorded for Eddie Murphy's movie Boomerang titled I'd Die Without You is a good tune, but seems out of place just stuck on the end of the disc.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: This music takes me back to summer and fall of 1993, which was my last summer without children. I'm getting this image in mind of driving my black '92 Ford Explorer down Gessner Rd in Houston. Maybe my wife and I listened to this as we went shopping one Saturday? We were married for four years before we had children, but sometimes it is very hard to remember those years.