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Writer
Andreas Hale
Publication Las Vegas Citylife
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Four years ago, Little Brother's Phonte Coleman and a producer from the Netherlands named Nicolay met on a message board and began crafting an album without ever formally meeting one another. The result was the soulful, critically acclaimed Connected. Since then, both have gone on to further their careers. Nicolay has continued producing, while Phonte keeps his rep intact as half of Little Brother.
But after all the clamoring for a second effort, Phonte and Nicolay reconnected for a second Foreign Exchange outing. The result, Leave It All Behind, is an extravagant follow-up. The two slip into a zone where they complement each other beautifully, while individually opting for self-experimentation.Phonte opts to test his vocal prowess rather than rhyme, while getting assists from guests such as Darien Brockington, Zo!, Muhsinah and YahZarah; together, Phonte and his collaborators vibe over Nicolay's marvelous production -- which encompasses influences from hip-hop to deep house and beyond. Whether it's the electric guitars wailing on "Sweeter Than You" or the uptempo house drums on "If This Is Love," Nicolay constantly impresses. And Phonte also proves to be an excellent lyricist. He weaves a lesson about lies in "House of Cards." By the time all is said and done, you're left wondering why the rest of the world has not discovered Phonte and Nicolay. With Leave It All Behind, hopefully it won't be much longer.
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