New York City emcee, songwriter, chef, wrestler and television host Action Bronson hires Daringer & The Alchemist to produce his eighth full-length studio record. He became an instant hit with the release of his debut album Dr. Lecter in 2011, and later formed a joint venture with VICE Music and Atlantic Records, while releasing several EPs and mixtapes. Most notable are Blue Chip Duo, Saab Story and my personal favorite: the Rare Chandelier. He then released his major-label debut album Mr. Wonderful in 2015, which featured some of his best songs, but the end result was an even more dazzling mixed bag. He fulfilled his contract by dropping a Blue Chips 7000 and celebrated his freedom the following year in the form of a White Bronco, both of which were solid but not to the level of the post-Thanksgiving Lamb Over Rice. Still, given that some of the production choices are questionable, only Dolphin is pretty middling, and Cocodrillo Turbo is a bounce back. As for Dr. John Sebastian Baklava, I expect it to be Bronson’s best album to date.
“Splash (Provocativ)” is a relaxed, jazzy opener showcasing Bachlava’s new fragrance, while “SEGA” features some haunting organ melodies from Uncle Al, who describes himself as the guy you don’t want to The muthafucka who dealt with him. “Nourish a Thug” connects piano and kick and snare drums from Daringer and talks about measuring temperature the old-fashioned way, before “Hideo Nomo” strips down the drums and explains that his zodiac sign tells him to buy more cake here .
Meanwhile, on “Salvaje,” Bronson went for a more laid-back production, looking to smash a guitar over the head like The Honky Tonk Man did to Jake “The Snake” Roberts, leading Meyhem Lauren to write with him The rock-influenced “Hogan” humorously talks about bitches with Hulk Hogan’s face. “Citrus Wahoo” starring Meyhem once again lectures you on doing something wrong only to get kicked out, but “Kompressor” starring Larry June charmingly talks about always getting through it .
On NBC’s “NBA Leather on NBC,” The Alchemist himself skipped the keys to pair the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls on the harmonica, while the song “Shadow Realm” poured out the thoughts he’d spent so long trying to The voice of taking off. “Doctor” ends silently comparing his life to scenes from the 1979 masterpiece “Apocalypse Now.”
I’m really proud to see Action Bronson’s rise from his initial rise over a decade ago to his growing popularity with Fuck, That’s Delicious and even brief appearances in AEW at All Out IV and Grand Slam II. Makes me very proud. Thirteen years after his debut tape, he released my favorite full-length to celebrate his mother’s birthday. In just half an hour, we expressed our heart-to-heart devotion to all Day One members, even the newest members of the Baklava Alliance.
Rating: 9/10
