Mouse Powell - These are the good times

Mouse Powell. An epic player in the valley's underground hip hop scene, as the host of Thursdays Blunt Club held at the Yucca Tap Room, he has made a name for himself. His latest project, These Are The Good Times,  has national and local celebs adding their creative juices for one XL power drink. 

I was honored when Mouse emailed me, giving me full access to his latest project on soundcloud, I had heard about him here and there, and speaking to JDV a while back,  was excited to see JDV and Mouse collaborating on a song. I think after this review, a follow up interview will be necessary. What do you think Mouse, will you let me crack open your brain to see your ideas and words? 

These Are The Good Times has several MUST LISTEN tracks. 

#3 Dancing In The Rain - Featuring the Veragrooves own Andres Rodriguez and Karly C. 
#4 Brass Monkey - because who doesn't like a brass monkey every so often!
#6 Cliff Clavin
#7 DGTW - Featuring Kristina Moore
#8 Good Times - Featuring Jason Devore 

If you have been following my blogs and reviews you know I write about how the music makes me feel, how it moves me and I always try to stay away from production values, sound and beats. But not this time. This time the production sound is fan-fucking-tastic, the beats dropped and lyrics are like no other. We all know that one song that we can sing to, the one we enjoy and yes I know you do, sing in the shower, well Mouse gives us that chance with Brass Monkey, DGTW, and Dancing in The Rain. Production on this project was spot on, kudos to The Ref for sampling, mixing and producing a quality set of songs. The overall LP was not overproduced and it didn't interfere with the lyrics and vocals. 

There were some trumpet samples, sending chills down my spine and giving me turkey skin. An amazing mix of harmonious vocals, trumpets and fresh ta def beats make These Are The Good Times one of the valleys top 5 LP releases. It's a close 3 to Fayucas Barrio Sideshow.

Want more info on this project? 

"These Are The Good Times" is the result of a year long collaboration with Tempe producer The Ref. Our project which was made possible by over 70 backers on kickstarter.com  is a unique blend of some of the Valley's best talent. We really wanted to step over genre boundaries and create something special while staying true to our Hip Hop backgrounds. We were able to accomplish this by bringing in musicians from different bands throughout Phoenix, and allowing them to add their flavor to our music. The project features and collaborations can be found along with the track listing in the description of the private soundcloud playlist. "These Are The Good Times"  will be available for free on November 12th, 2013 at MousePowell.com.  

Check out Mouse Powell on SoundCloud: 
https://soundcloud.com/mousepowell

Like Him on Facebook: 
https://www.facebook.com/MightyMousePowell

And you can catch him most Thursdays at Blunt Club @ Yucca Tap Room. I have to say Mouse is another one of the valleys best kept secrets, but hopefully no more. Its time to rise Phoenix, from the ashes of our nearly deceased underground music scene and show that once more we rise and will stay on top. 

I hope you support the project 100% and get it once it drops, I know I will. 

I want to thank Mouse Powell for allowing me to review this project before release, I am deeply honored. 

Gods and Monsters / Blaze Rock - Black Talon - The Killer. The Butcher. The Mercenary.

     First off, the fact that The Ginger and Streets could possibly pull another LP out of thin air like Houdini and a bouquet of flowers is mind numbing. With The Company We Keep released in 2012, and The Second Coming shortly before that, once again one of AZ's most unique underground hip hop camps did it. 

     This collab featuring Blaze Rock, titled Black Talon -  The Killer. The Butcher. The Mercenary. Is out of control. These guys are fucking crazy. Dangerdoom? Nah, fuck that. D12, probably not. Again, more like Slaughterhouse, Public Enemy, And maybe even Run DMC. These cats are on point, like a fresh pair of Jordan 89 Fire Reds, GNM is just that. On Fire. These guys are eye catching. Maybe more like ear catching, It never gets old listening to their sound. Nothing ever sounds the same and the lyrics still, sharp as a samurai sword, cut through my headphones. 

     They maintain their posture, Gods among men, leading AZ hip hop to the top of the food chain. With shows on the horizon, GNM proves to be worthy to selective audiophiles like myself.  

     Like Single Dad Shit? Yeah Pt 2 will blow your mind. So many tracks on this LP, keeping true to how they feel about their lives, their music and their emotions. Audio Dope, will seep in your blood stream like a virus. Streets was right, having this in my ears as the blood pumps through my veins, sweat down my face as I go into beast mode in the gym is by far the best motivation. 

     Nothing compares to this LP, this is by the far the best Hip Hop LP released this year, world wide. Other artists, trying to represent what hip hop is about, falling short. AZ's true underground Hip Hop is what its about. They've taken over the block, next is the world. I expect nothing but excellence from them. I feel sorry for the 602 missing out on this LP. Time for some radio play.....what do you think? 

Where can you get it? 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DF3KODM/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk

Video? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?hl=en&gl=US&client=mv-google&v=p3JyH3knLiw&nomobile=1

Website? 

http://godsandmonstersaz.com/