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Sage Francis cut his teeth in underground poetry slams, so it’s no surprise that his rhymes overflow with vivid imagery. In a bouncy cadence that’s part Baptist preacher and part raspy coal miner, Francis takes on politics (“Slow Down Gandhi”), radio monopolies (“The Buzz Kill”) and gun violence (“Gunz Yo”). At times he overreaches, such as on the Everlast-lite ode to Johnny Cash (“Jah Didn’t Kill Johnny”), but it’s hard to fault his ambition. Besides, its impossible to deny any MC who exerts the power Francis does on the mic. He attacks all of his rhymes with a boxer’s energy — even when the tune is co-written by an introverted indie-rocker, as it is on the exceptional, Will Oldham-penned “Sea Lion.”
