Reviews Stresswon - Immaculate Deception

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Gage Caldwell, better known as StressWon, has been working on 'Immaculate Deception' for quite a while now. This is his debut album, his very first complete offering. For this album, he gathered a whole bunch of fantastic established producers and talented up-and-comers, including his own strong productions.

Stress is well-known around New Jersey; he's a solid producer in his own right, but he is mostly known as a marvelously fierce MC. 'Immaculate Deception' is built of 24 joints. There's no special structure as this is not a concept album. It's a wonderful collection of songs with one common denominator: Stress ripping the microphone.

Track 1 - Verbal Wordplay: An original beat by StressWon. It has a heavy rhythm section with a killer sub-bass. Stress keeps the flow on point. 'Verbal Wordplay' is an easy-going song with an infectious hook, the kind of ish y'all be nodding your head to while riding your flashy low-rider.

Track 2 - Aristocrat Rap: One of the many smashing Cleverwon productions on this joint. 'Aristocrat Rap' is a heavy boom-bap track. While the beat is rather simple, it's also amazingly raw. I'd say that this is some REAL Hip-Hop from the flesh of the streets. Stress' delivery is ferocious, he's riding the mic like there's no tomorrow.

Track 3 - Raw: A collaboration with French luminary DJ Excellence. You can't go wrong with the beat. It's simply blazin'! The vocal sample is perfect and the scratches are off the chain. Stress showcases his skills to the fullest extent. A great song!

Track 4 - Genius: The first of 5 collaboration with gifted fellow producer Devize. Devize comes through with a splendidly soulful beat. The vocal snippet expresses the theme of the song. Stress sounds wonderfully at home. Good work!

Track 5 - Dirtee Jerz Anthem: 2nd collaboration with DJ Excellence. Yet again, the beat suits Stress' flow unbelievably well. It's simple, but it works without a single doubt. Stress blesses the beat with his rawest lyricism.

Track 6 - WatchaGonDo Feat. B. Grimm: Stress' own production, featuring fellow MC, B. Grimm. Good beat, solid performance from both MC's. Grimy-hop from the depth of Jersey's hoods.

Track 7 - It's Classic: Produced by one of IllMuzik's favorites - Classic. The beat is truly superb; smooth and mellow, with beautiful melodies and great rhythm patterns. This is definitely one of the best tracks on this album. Stress sounds as though he doesn't wanna stop rhymin' on top of this excellent production. "Cuz when Stress is on the mic, yo, it's always Classic". Indeed.

Track 8 - OnlyBWon: A stupendous production by Dutch super-producer Jelle Dom aka Formatix. Jelle's dark beat is off the hook, one of the very best instrumentals on this joint. The beat fits Stress' reading perfectly. Those cinematic/orchestral strings and military-rhythm-patterns are extraordinary.

Track 9 - Don't Leave: This beat was produced by IllMuzik's ShortFuze. It's a good production, based around the rhythm section and the wonderful bassline. Plus, there's a funky vocal sample, traditionally sped-up. Stress is the right MC for these beats, just listen for yourself.

Track 10 - Dimeahduzen: A spectacular production by UK's super-producer Lex. The beat is so incredibly murky and obscure... it has several layers to it. As a whole, with such beautifully mysterious background sounds and Stress' emotional flowing, this is a standout song. One of the most interesting ones I've heard in a long time.

Track 11 (Comin' 4 Ya Crew) & Track 12 (Immaculate Deception) feature production by Cleverwon. Both songs are quite good, with 'Immaculate Deception' (theme song of the album) being the superior one.

Track 13 - The Truth: A fine Devize production with a striking performance by Stress.

Track 14 - Straight to the Chase Feat. J.J. Budget: One more DJ Excellence production. A banging song, with noticeable raps by J.J Budget. Easily one of the top songs on the album.

Track 15 (Rhyme Godfather), Track 16 (Life Ain't Easy), Track 17 (The Greatest Emcee): Produced by Stress, Cleverwon and Devize - respectively. All three songs are enjoyable. Stress' microphone presence is flawless.

Track 18 - We Rock Spots: Produced by IllMuzik's highly-respected veteran producer Freakwncy. Freak's beat is VERY GOOD, with a memorable sitar sample. The rhythm section is excellent as well; the walking-bass takes it to the next level. Stress provides one of his most unforgettable and phenomenal moments on the microphone. A magnificent song!

Track 19 (Switchin' Stylez) & Track 20 (Walk Away): Both are Cleverwon productions. 'Walk Away' is a hit, in the full sense of the word. In a sense, 'Walk Away' is THE NUMBER ONE song on this album. This is exactly the kind of music that drives ladies nuts. CleverWon's beat is simply tremendous, with the chorus being undoubtedly TOP-NOTCH. Stress makes outstanding use of the beat; this is one of his best recordings. Job well done!

Track 21 - Children That Have Never Seen: A fresh Wings Of An Angel production. This song is dedicated to the love of Hip-Hop. "Children Have Never Seen' is the most conscious song on the album. Wings' complex beat (composed of a distinctive rhythm section, an orchestral phrase and a powerful sax line) is juicy, to say the least. Quoting Stress' lyric: "Hip-Hop at its finest". Music to awaken you from the system...

Track 22 (Half and Half) & Track 23 (In the Zone): Produced by Devize. 'Half & Half' is a great song, with superb sampling from Classical music & an interestingly sampled hook. Nice work.

The last track, Ill Muzik, was produced by the one and only - Fade (THE Infamous moderator of IllMuzik). Fade claims that he's mostly influenced by Classical Music. Let me tell y'all - it shows off perfectly. 'Ill Muzik' is made of an absolutely ill Classical segment. This is one of my favorite songs on the album, thanks to the fabulous production and Stress' excellent MCing. Swell!

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Score: 4 / 5