Silver Or Lead [VINYL]

In short: Great concept, vigorous lyrics, excellent music.

With her second album Ursula Rucker proves she's a phenomenon worth of our love, respect and support. Silver or Lead? Well, yeah, Lead. Silver or Lead goes further than Supasista. To me it's definitely more memorable and likeable. It's both an album and a book.

Ursula Rucker is shockingly honest. She's intimate and yet political. She's strong and talks hard. I've never heard anything like that from a lady - in terms of both lyrics and message.

She's active, she's proud. She preaches without being letting-down or annoying.
She's the genuine urban diva. She's the guardian angel of the neighbourhood.

The album is amazingly crafted. Excellent production. Great hip/trip hop and break beats. Some jazz and bossa intakes too.

Rucker's voice is mild, sharply intelligent, friendly, reliable and supportive.

She is a great story teller and she's a great singer too.
She's harsh and strikingly frank.
She's confident, she has a cause.
She is a veteran warrior who won't give up the fight.

She shows what a real 'She' should be!

Favourite tracks: Time, QnA, Return to Innocence Lost.

You're doin' great, Sista!
Respect and Support!

Ursula Rucker - Silver or Lead (Poetry, Nu-Jazz, Downtempo): Having long since collaborated with various musicians and artists in the underground Hip-Hop/Jazz scene, Ursula is no stranger to lending her incisive, Self-Conscious and Uncompromising look at the world, from a female perspective, to the world of music. Her debut album ("Supa Sister"), was a throughly promising release. But on this, her sophomore release, she has broadened her songwriting skills, become more confident and Articulate, in her ruminations on life (especially focusing on a woman's place in amongst all this), and fleshed out the musical side of things with some remarkable results.

Wisely, Ursula has neglected to produce the musical side of things herself, and brought in a raft of producers and musicians, to provide the (sublime) instrumentation/arrangement side of things, so people such as "Jazzanova, King Britt, 4hero, Louie Vega", bring a broad spectrum of "Nu-Jazz, Beat poetry, Jazz-Funk, Soul-jazz, and even a Hip-Hop Fusion.

If your expecting something of an easy listen here, then this is most certainly not the CD, that you'd have in mind. Ursula views her world through the same disenfranchised and Perceptive lens that the legendary 'Gil Scott-Heron' used to such empowering effect. And even though there are a multitude of subjects to Ursula pours scorn on, the reoccurring theme of 'Women's self-belief & Self-improvement', rears it's head on more than several occasions.

Opener "Damned If I Do" is a six minute examination/deconstruction of a woman's place in society, musing that women need to be accountable for their own fortunes, and never expect anything other than "Doing it for yourself" being the best policy for getting anything done. The grace of the smooth soul-jazz instantly impresses here.....gentlee, elegant, and not without a hint of poignancy, it's contrasts beautifully with Ursula's seething, yet softly delivered vocal.

'Jazzanova' provide the musical backdrop for "What a Woman Must Do", and as is such, with their distinctive blend of silky Jazz-house grooves & soulful downbeat programming, with a layer of production, that literally shines, Ursula confidently strides over society's expectations of what essentially is a 'Woman's worth', and urges both men & women to respect the importance of woman's contributions & achievements, and literately express that woman rarely achieve their full potential, and need to sidestep men's confining views. But before you think this is merely a 'Men Hating' excersice....Ursula is equally dismissive of the women, that allow this situation to manifest, or neglect to improve the situation.

"Untitled Flow" is even more scathing......marked out by a truly minimal Hip-Hop beat, layered with subtle jazz instruments, Ursula...in no unflinching manner lays into the whole ethos behind: Gangsta Rappers/Bling materialism / Aggressive Attitudes, and generally dissecting & ripping open all the stereotypical elements of Hip-Hop in general. It's eye-opening stuff for sure, and she leaves literally no stone unturned. And although her approach is unrelenting, few could argue that its is not only expressed so articulately & Passionately, and open's up Hip-Hop to be a collection of gaping contradictions, that her dismissive approach is more than justified. And her cerebral statement of "Life's Tough enough!!, without you acting all Gangsta" is a marvellous parting shot.

"Release" pairs Ursula with, 'Masters at work's - Lil Louie Vega', who lays a tremendous afro-Centric/afro-beat arrangement, that recalls some of his work on the "Nuyorican Soul" album, persistent African-referencing drums and heavy percussion make up the backbone of this Exuberant track, and thus Ursula steps up the tempo of her delivery and hardens it's impact, in an effort to stay relevant during this standout track.

You wouldn't expect someone to bring in a load of Nu-Jazz/Breakbeat-fusion/ Jazz-house producers, to provide instrumental tracks, for an artists to sing over, and NOT have '4Hero' contributing somewhere along the line, and so (as usual), they hand in a reliably superb effort in "Time". In what was one of the standout tracks on 4Hero's own "Creating Patterns" album, with Ursula sounding more confident and revealing much more emotion than usual, and flitting gracefully between sung and spoken vocals. But, such is the case on this album, is that it's probably not going to be as highly placed song-wise as it deserves to be, due to the impressively high quality of tracks on display here.

Before summing up this review, several things must be noted. Firstly this album is crying out for a 2-CD edition to be released, with the second disk purely instrumental. Such is the achievement of the beautifully produced tracks, that you can't help but wish to hear them in a instrumental context. Secondly (and more importantly), if your the sort of person that likes to, not give to much mental investment to an album, and prefer to listen without thinking about too much about what's being said.....then you really need to pass on this album, as Ursula has a great many subjects to get of her chest: (Gender equality, racism, America, Careers, Motherhood, relationships, Self-help, sexuality, religion, existential loneliness, Domestic violence, slavery and graphic misogyny), are all laid bare, scrutinised and raillied either 'For' or 'Against'. And to not pay attention would be to defeat the point of the album (and the low volume of some of Ursula sentences, doesn't make things any easier). This is obviously not something, you'd put on, before heading out to a 'bar' or an evening 'clubbing'. (unless your heading out to a 'protest rally'), but irrespective of all of that, Ursula Rucker's made one hell of an album for you to digest.

Just got this CD and must say it rivals Supa Sista in my opinion. Ms. Rucker SPEAKS her Heart, her Soul, her Life, the Lives of Others [not in a position or not willing to do so]. She is a Warrior of Words, Voice, Rhythm, and Spirit! You've only to listen to Track 10, aptly titled "I/We" to 'feel' her represent for the masses. This woman is more than a Poet, more than a Songstress, more than a Daughter, Wife and Mother. Ursula is a Surgical Healer-Warrior sent from the High and Mighty to JAR people [back] into F.E.E.L.I.N.G.. Her lyrics spare none. They are, at times, as gritty, cold, gutter and funky as the environment we 'live' in, which grows more and more that way by the day. BLESS her for sounding the Clarion Call, for using her Voice [scalpel] to eradicate the Cancer and Incite Conscious Awakening on SO MANY LEVELS. So. Many. Levels. If this world we 'live' in is to ever heal itself and reveal its Sublime Essence for us to peacefully reside in, it will come NOT without Ursula Rucker and those of her Healing Clan. Thank You Ms. Rucker. In my wincing comes awakening, comes revealing, comes healing, comes F.E.E.L.I.N.G. And I am GRATEFUL for your willingness to share so much of the unspeakable for the sake of eradicating the same! Yours is a Creative Gift we will LONG REMEMBER.

I should also add that the musical accompaniment is the Balm! Yes, "Balm!"