All the way from a little town called Granite City in Illinois, United States, comes the band BrothRHood made up of Gene McCallister aka Kid BrotherHood, and Tommy Walsh aka Tommy2Gunzz. They dabble in a hybrid crossover of styles that blend Alternative Rock, Indie, and Hip-hop. They currently have a captivating album out, entitled “Bipolar”. BrothRHood have clearly spent their time perfecting their irresistible beats, riffs, rhymes, vocals and rapping flavors, which has made their album a juggernaut release. Putting the axe to the grindstone, the band pack the album with a ton of new material, “Bipolar” is made up of eleven brand new tracks showing BrothRHood on top of their game.
The album gets off to a fine start after the “Intro”, via the cinematic, and atmospheric feel of “Who You Used To Know”, which forges soulful vocals, a mesmerizing melody, and an edgy rap verse. It’s been a very long time since I’ve been so impressed by an opening track on any album. This is total ear-candy and emotional stimulus, wrapped into one.
Reaching out, the chill mid-tempo ballad, known as “Hazel Eyes” provides another impressive soundscape, with more catchy vocals, and just enough rapped lines to keep things electrifying. It is already apparent this early on in the recording that BrothRHood know how to write earworm melodies, construct warm organic sounding backdrops, and then drop in relevant raps to match.
Never at a lack for creativity, “Come With Me” is yet another impressive song, as BrothRHood continue weaving a web of mesmeric sounds. The guitars jangle and the synths build tension, as the vocals flourish and soar on “Disguise”.
This is followed by “Contamination”, where rich harmony and hip-hop stand side by side. The notion of a borderless music world, where rap, rock, and indie exists together effortlessly, is pulled it off with panache by Kid BrotherHood and Tommy2Gunzz.
At this point, there’s no such thing as a casual BrothRHood fan – either you’re astounded at the quality of music these guys are putting together, or you can’t believe you’ve never heard of them yet. Song after song BrothRHood are able to churn out catchy melodies, emotional vocals, dynamic beats, and in your face raps.
It’s all executed with a crossover crowd-pleasing verve few groups have managed in recent times. From “One More” to “Fading Out”, “Sugar Coated”, the album never lets up, or misses a single step. And you’ll soon be singing along, to these songs.
There are some brilliant flashes of the creativity and edge on this album that will endeared BrothRHood to rock, rap, Americana, and even pop fans alike. Their music is a mosaic of captivating goodness. But aside from the great singing and rapping, what really sets BrothRHood apart from the pack, is the amount of high quality melodies they are able to turn out in one album.
The group’s songwriting is superb and highly relatable, regardless of genre and style. By the time BrothRHood close the album with the tracks, “Where I Belong” and “Outro”, you’ll be ready to press replay from the top, just to let those ear-catching melodies wash all over you once again.
To fit the full range of sounds that the band has to offer, BrothRHood crammed a ton of music into “Bipolar”. This album not only has something to offer to everyone. It has a selection of shining gems. This recording is already on my album of the year list.
