The Underground Railroad

by Nick PfeifferThe Masterminds' debut album, The Underground Railroad, isn't as good as some of their previous singles, but it suffices as an indie release. The reason the album falls short due to the fact that the Masterminds tried to please everyone with this album. In other words, they tried to remain true to their underground roots, however some of the production on The Underground Railroad is extremely "jiggy" or pop sounding. One particular area the Masterminds excel in, pertains to production; their producers have an aptitude for being able to incorporate samples from other emcee's into their tracks (see "Hot Shit#12" and "Bring it Back"). All in all I would have expected better from the Masterminds, but I have a feeling that this young group will come to maturity at some point.