Nurtured by Los Angeles’ near-mythical underground scene centered around the Good Life Café and Project Blowed, Abstract Rude boasts an indelible, intoxicating voice. He raps and sings with equal verve, and his deep baritone resonates with rhythmic power. So why does he saddle himself with rehashed West Coast bleats for his first album in six years? Potentially dynamic songs like “The Conch” and “Tomorry” clearly call for vibrantly colorful backdrops, not Vitamin D’s woefully stripped-down underproduction.
