Music Minute: Leaving it All Behind

This is perhaps the BEST music that you haven't heard...or at least I've never heard of these guys. The Foreign Exchange, a hip-hop duo consisting of rapper Phonte Coleman and producer Nicolay, released Leave it All Behind in October, and what they did was leave behind all the watered down, banal r&b/hip hop artists in the process. I ran across this album on soulbounce.com, as they named this album as their Album of the Year.

I fell in love with the first listen. They are a little reminiscent of Erykah Badu in the way that they combine so many musical elements-funk, jazz, soul, r&b, alternative, hip hop, euro-into an amazingly smooth and cohesive sound. Their music is somewhat difficult to classify, but that's probably due to the fact this album defines what real, substance-filled r&b really is. None of that lust driven, "love in this club" shallow lyrics. This about has love at its core: one listen and you'll get a glimpse of what a real, adult relationship is about. This is definitely one of those albums that you pop in and just let play. They take risks; although there's a song or two that may borderline on boring, it's only because the music is so easy on the ear. The Foreign Exchange is "an earful of goodness," and you'll be glad if you check this dynamic duo out. It received 83 of 100 on metacritic.com and 4.5 stars by iTunes listeners. Most importantly (wink-wink), this album is Architectually Approved, and it will be the newest addition to my music box.

Check out this video for the lead single from the album, Daykeeper. Although it's not my favorite track from the album, it's a very sweet, mellow love song that takes you in through the purity and delicacy of their voices. The song features Muhsinah. Even better, the video takes it to another level. I love the use of lighting and colors: the lighting almost serves as the narrator, making the lyrics come to life.