Boston DJ/producer/MC Edan Portnoy returns with his second LP, paying lip-service to the methods of hip hop’s most enduring icons but wrapping a technicoloured blanket around their styles with his own tripped-out approach. Sampling a barrage of psychedelic pop and rock sources, Portnoy’s sound distinguishes itself immediately from the faux-gangster hip hop morass, but what really gives this Bostonian Sergeant Pepper the edge is his inspired flights of lyrical fancy. Embellished by fellow rhyme-spitters Mr Lif (Def Jux), Percee P, Insight and Dagha, Beauty And The Beat is as fresh as the daisies growing in the Strawberry Fields and as raw and fiery as the Voodoo Chile. So, whether or not you’re experienced, prepare to be dazzled.

Published by The List, May 2005 and reproduced with their kind permission.