Pharoahe Monch has been in the game since 1991. He has contributed to many classic songs and his fan base is very loyal. At this point he could release anything he wants to and most of his fan base would except it as dope. Pharoahe Monch isn't one to disappoint when it comes to music though, and he always tries to keep it fresh and innovative, which is exactly what he did with Desire.
When this album kicks off, you can automatically tell this isn't going to be like any other album Pharoahe has participated in making, as a gospel influenced singer bello's the word freedom. In the track 'free' Pharoahe explains how he is free "spit in my face/hold me down/I keep my feet firm to the ground" over a quite simple base riff. Thats pretty much the only negative throughout the entire album, is the production. This is Pharoahe Monch though, if you picked this up for the beats, then you need a quick slap in the face. The next two tracks are two popular, already leaked to the internet songs, Desire and Push. Desire hints at the soulful element in this album that will be coming up. Push is just an anthem for your everyday blue collar working human. Welcome to The Terrordome, the next record up, has Pharoahe flowing crazy, its a forgettable but pretty dope track. The next few tracks bring in his long time sound and are all very good songs, then when we hit "Body Baby" the entire sound of the album slows down, This is what happen when Pharoahe went on a 8 year hiatus, He picked up a soul element in his style some how. I actually love this half of the album just as much as the first half. There are two tracks I could do without though "Body Baby" and "Bar Tap", but I still got love for both records. Then to top the album off and/or to completely smack you in the face with brilliance, Pharoahe created the nine minute and twenty-four second track entitled "Trilogy". The story this song brings is chilling and the best possible way to end the album, other then noticing this I am completely speechless.
By the end of this album I knew two things. One of them being that this is quite possibly the best album I have heard from the year 2007, the other being that Pharoahe Monch has still got it and he deserves all the praise that he gets for this album. Its not very often that an emcee grows to the point where he is no longer an emcee, but an artist, some how Pharoahe Monch has done it though.
