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Qwel
If It Ain't Been In The Pawn Shop, Then It Can't Play The Blues
To fully understand a particular person, one must learn any and everything about that human being beforehand. Finding out what makes someone tick is a long and thorough process, leaving the "researcher" with more questions after than prior to starting. That in essence, is the scenario of Chicago product, Qwel. The Typical Cats, a group consisting of several unresembling artists, displayed Qwel as a rabid wolverine on his quest for the perfect dinner -wack emcees. Yet, given more time and space to develop, a mature Qwel has emerged from his perspective shell, accompanyed by deep, complex thoughts that shed rays of light on various topics, collectively entitled, "If It Ain't Been In The Pawn Shop, Then It Can't Play The Blues."

"Quest For Fire" wonderfully initiates the overall vibe of this album, prehending that mood of somberness. Here, Qwel drops knowledge for thought on past roads traveled, illustrating lyrical portraits.

Perhaps Qwel's greatest accomplishment while discussing artistic growth is "The Highest Commitment." Traveling through a sea of emotions, Qwel seems to have become distraught over his former female companion, contemplating each wrong mistake and every miscalculated step. "If I can't have you girl, consider this the suicide note/ I miss your mind games ever since you and I broke/ At times, you made it hard to breathe, hard to see the end/ Please, one more chance, I'll never let you slip through my hands again."

Yet another standout appears on two tracks, which coincidently, also features another Chicago independent, Robust. "The Art Of War" captures the rough side of Qwel that was previously seen on The Typical Cats self-titled debut. While both emcees supply excellent verses discussing religion and human nature, it is none other than White Lightning's production (horn and drum heavy) that receives the nod of perfection. "$ 19.99 A.D." is almost an exact carbon copy of their past collaboration, with White, Qwel, and Robust all setting the standard for future work between any emcees/producers. Also possessing a vibe of stalwart is tracks such as "Stress.com," and "Good Friday (Government Music)."

As mentioned earlier, White Lightening splits the production duties of "If It Ain't Been In The Pawn Shop..." with Meaty Ogre, another . When placed together on one compact disk, the results are dumbfounding. Both "Meaty's Lament" and "Chicago Barbeque" (towards its end) showcase Meaty and White's skills to create that smooth, laidback sound which is undeniablely distinctive.

This material alone has set Qwel up for what could be a long and meaningful career. Fans of The Typical Cats could be disappointed, as it is quite different, yet to put it simply, Qwel has succeeded enormously with his debut LP, "If It Ain't Been In A Pawn Shop, Then It Can't Play The Blues."

Grade: 9/10
Review By: Nik