TRACK LISTING     VIDEOS     BIOGRAPHY     DISCOGRAPHY     NEWS l TOUR DATES     FORUMS     GALLERY     MEDIA l PRESS KIT   urbansmarts.com - November 2003 - Album Review Pocket Dwellers - LifeCheck (Urbnet Records) "Lifecheck" is a collection of recordings from two of the Pocket Dwellers' shows in Toronto; it includes a couple of previously-unheard tracks and also a number from their 2000 release "Digitally Organic". As soon as the album starts, you can't help but be impressed at the crispness of the recording; whoever it was who put the Dweller's combination of M.C, DJ, drums, bass, guitars, keys and brass down did a mighty fine job. N.I. Gel - the group's lyricist - is in his element live. His voice jumps from a Mr Cheeks sing-along style via hyping, Fatman Scoop-esque moments to a contemplative storytelling pitch that's reminiscent of The Roots' Black Thought. That in itself is no mean achievement. Musically, the tracks on "Lifecheck" are built around funk and upbeat-jazz themes, and the Dwellers certainly came to rock the party. With the prominent horns on "Cum Wit Us", the scratching found on "13th Funk" and the leading acoustic guitar on "Eye Of The Storm", it seems each Dweller gets his moment in the spotlight. "Red's Concoction" - one of the album's exclusive performances - is a truly brilliant showcase of Marco Raposo's drumming abilities. Starting easily, he works his way up towards a type of tribal samba before slowing it down again, and then leaping into drum and bass time to be joined by Jupiter's bass jamming. And while the music definitely takes the forefront on "Lifecheck", N.I.Gel's presence isn't by any means superfluous, and finds its definitive moment on "Eye Of The Storm" and "Shine", where he's in his Black Thought vein, and spits positive and thought-provoking analogies. The final element of "Lifecheck" which demands a mention, not least because of the music's jazz leanings, is DeKnow Daug's saxophone solo on "Green Light". Daug slides and squeaks his way through a very good, rhythmic solo, but at the same time as you're appreciating the musical talent of all of the Dwellers, you can't avoid the feeling that the overall conclusion you draw from the record is that you're just sorry you missed the show. Because of this, while the music and the recording are both great, most of "Lifecheck" loses something by the fact that it sounds live without the atmospherics of a live performance. Unless you were hugely familiar with the Dwellers' previous work and are therefore curious to hear live renditions, or were actually there when these recordings were made, while you won't doubt the talent displayed on "Lifecheck", you can doubt the album's ability to stay in regular rotation.