Album Review – L.H.’s L.H. DOOM

April 15, 2022 — Leave a comment

You’ve seen the name L.H. before on Spice on the Beat, and the Chicago artist is back with a new project that ditches his usual trap sound. You can check out the new project below!:

The 7-track project that features the Chicago rapper spitting over MF DOOM beats starts with the song “RS Flow.” I’ll be honest; there’s quite a lot going on when the music begins. The beat itself is already so dynamic, but so is L.H.’s tone. This is one of my favorite instrumentals, and I think it’s a very cool fit for L.H. compared to some of the other beats I’ve heard him rap over. But I think he needs to relax his flow for the beat to be front and center because it does have so many moving parts. Otherwise, it sounds like the two are fighting one another rather than working together to complete the track. Lyrically, L.H. puts on a good performance as he always does. Still, it is difficult to focus on the words when the delivery is so aggressive. Overall, it’s a good fit for the artist; he just needs to take a step back and let that fantastic beat shine.

The 2nd track, “LoVeHaTe,” features a much more old-school sample, taking a more relaxed tone while still maintaining complexities within the beat. With that being said, I personally feel as though the delivery doesn’t match the song’s flow. L.H.’s flow is urgent and chaotic, once again taking away from the beauty that falls in the instrumental layers. Rather than filling the spaces in the beat, he rides it too close, leaving brief pauses that create a disconnect in his flow. By the 1-minute mark, however, his performance eases up a bit, working with the beat to compliment one another while filling those lulls. I enjoyed that verse a lot because it demonstrated L.H.’s story-telling ability. Also, he used his expressive dynamics to add more dimension to it rather than just exerting all of his energy at once. This would have been a strong performance if the song gradually increased in power from the beginning rather than in the middle. It was overwhelming at the start, but it found its way.

“Raided” was an uplifting, jazzy choice. While the beat is quite expressive on its own, L.H. delivered a fun and energetic performance. Each verse demonstrated a very different grasp of the beat, and it was enjoyable to hear L.H.’s variety of deliveries. His first verse was rapid and quick-fire, showcasing his experience with complex flows. It starts to taper off, once again giving into those gaps in the beat, but by the 1-minute mark, he showcases that incredible story-telling again that grabs the listener. He slows down his flow without compromising his energy, creating a really enjoyable verse.

“Ramble” is definitely more up my speed. Still, there are a few moments where L.H.’s slow and easy delivery feels as though it’s dragging behind. Lyrically, this may have been one of my favorite performances. The visual imagery mixed with the atmospheric beat painted such a vivid picture, only further heightened by L.H.’s flow.

“Green” has the funkiest bassline ever, immediately capturing me. L.H. continues his more relaxed flow from “Ramble,” but instead pushes his words through any semblance of silence. His flow drags at no point, and it compliments the lazy and easy-going beat impeccably. Overall, I think this is the strongest track on the whole project!

“RSC Flow” is another powerful performance. L.H. adapts a more boom-bap flow and showcases that sometimes, less is more. This song was solely about L.H. with a little bit of help from the beat to keep the track moving forward, and he did not disappoint. His lyrics walk you through his personal experience with Hip-Hop intertwined with the history of the culture, and it’s clear that this song is where L.H. feels most at home. The 2nd half of this project has taken me by complete surprise. I think L.H. illustrates that he doesn’t need all of the frills; his talent shines best when he gives a straightforward rap performance.

“Made It” brings back that signature L.H. flow, and honestly, I don’t mind him ending the album on this note. After the past few tracks, which completely relaxed my mind and left me so content with the direction of this project, the burst of energy only feels right. The beat is spacy, providing the perfect backing for L.H. to paint a picture with his expressive, dynamic delivery that he still managed to tame compared to the start of the project. At times, his flow in this track reminds me of Childish Gambino’s Camp, and it shows a great deal of promise.

If you’ve followed my site for quite some time, then you know I’ve covered L.H. a couple of times. Personally, he was always a bit too aggressive for my taste, especially as he often rapped over trap beats. I think I made those sentiments known in the first couple of tracks of this project, but I have to say, my opinion did a complete 180. By the 3rd track, L.H. seemed to have gotten more adjusted to the types of beats he was working with. He demonstrated more of an understanding of how his flow would fit with the instrumentals, and everything just fell into place. It was a joy to witness that progression, and I am very impressed. Yes, I could have done without those first 2 tracks. L.H.’s delivery was chaotic and abrupt, creating such an overwhelming dissonance with the instrumentals. But it was also nice to have that as a starting ground, getting to hear his journey as an artist throughout the 7 songs. I really hope that moving forward, L.H incorporates more stylistic choices and beats like the last 5 tracks because it is where he excels. If you would like to keep up with L.H.’s music, you can follow him at the socials below.

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