Strange Journey, Vol. 1

by David JeffriesAlthough it was released through aboveground channels, the Cunninlynguists' Strange Journey, Vol. 1 is essentially a mixtape, or more accurately, an imitation throwback mixtape. Free of the DJ shout-outs and drops, the set has plenty of the flavor of yesteryear, when mixtapes seemed more special and fine-crafted for shelf lives much longer than the week to a month that's about average in 2009. Bombed out right from the beginning with opening skit "Departure" -- a conversation held in a stoner van that "smells like feet and Cheetos" -- this Strange Journey kicks off like a Cheech & Chong road trip across the hip-hop South, but the concept is extremely loose as this van can travel to Jamaica on "Hypnotized." The reggaefied track gives way to the De La Soul-like and De La Soul caliber "Dance for Me," which is followed by Mr. SOS' poignant lost innocence track, "Die for You" ("Trust was lost/Like Kanye's fashion sense"). A skit about hypnotizing cops into believing they're horny chickens comes next, then a warts-and-all look at the state of "Georgia" certifies that this journey is going to ramble like philosophical stoners tend to do. Blame it on all the blazing up front or the general mixtape standards, but the aptly titled Strange Journey wanders so much that newcomers might drift. Returning fans, on the other hand, get a whirlwind of high-grade remixes, collabos, and live cuts, and won't mind the bumpy ride at all.