New York’s very own Track Seven Band brings to you a collaboration that connects the elements of Rap, Rock, R&B, and Funk into one cohesive and melodic sound. Track Seven Bands music is deeply rooted in traditional Hip-Hop, over stepping the boundaries of looped samples and beats by introducing the fresh sounds of live instrumentation.
The bands roots date back to 2011 in the Bronx, New York when front man, Cost was in search of assembling a band to compliment his lyrics of socially hidden struggle messages and awareness with his sound and live stage show.
For almost four years Track Seven Band played live shows and decided to go into the studio mid-2015 to finish up the highly anticipated EP “The Try And The Fail” in which front man Cost says is an emotional roller coaster based on different events he experienced in his lifetime.
“The Try And The Fail” is such a pleasant surprise. Not only is it instantly captivating and beautifully produced, but it actually has sheer emotion. Not simply well-thought ideas but genuine feeling. Not only does it sound good, it feels good. It is a seamless listen that must be enjoyed to in its full rotation.
This is a perfect example of why I still appreciate hip-hop music. With all the mainstream garbage they have been playing on the radio and TV for the past decade or more, Track Seven Band have stayed humble and have made good quality music here.
I’m not a hip-hop connoisseur but it makes me feel good when hearing something like this because this to me is what hip-hop music should be all about – profound and positive messages, live instruments, uniqueness and creativity.
Straight out of the box, the first thing you grasp when listening to the opening track, “The Message”, is that this band is not confused or burdened by their own, or anyone else’s expectations. They sound like they are on top of their game and comfortable about what they are doing.
The organic aspects of the EP are admirable; real instruments and beats instead of touchpad and computer generated musings, while the pop-sensibility of each chorus is solid and nearly unmatched by modern day rap, save some older Kanye or Jay-Z tracks. In fact Cost’s flow is very reminiscent of Jay-Z’s voicings in places. Particularly on the tracks, “I See Your Body” and “Die”.
The songs are personal, intelligent narratives, but catchy; “Today”, “Doubt Me”, and “The Try and the Fail” all got stuck in my head a lot. But unlike many of their more popular peers, this is not simply a vehicle for a few hot singles with some filler in between. This is a real record in that old school sense of the word.
A collection of carefully crafted songs that go well together and mean something. Track Seven Band is a collective that flies high above the anchors of musical genre. This is not really just a rap album or a hip-hop album or a pop album or even a rock album, it’s…well, it’s a Track Seven Band album.
Cost (Frontman, Writer), Silver Fret (Guitar), Eugene RIvera (Drums), Omar Osorio (Keys) and Tony Torres (Bass), essentially deliver a rap-infused, crossover-flavored hip-hop album for smart people, and as such it succeeds brilliantly.
Once in awhile the hip-hop genre will take a break from its occasional obsession with narcissistic posturing and actually deliver on ideas that actually live up to its cultural roots. And it’s no secret that many of the genre’s greatest moments have been those instances where it looks inside itself, and finds something new to say – and a better way to say it. “The Try and the Fail” EP is one of those occasions!
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