Water-n-Oxygen

Visconti Opera Club Cherry Blossom

$275- $450

Written by:

April Wednesday's

With geographical references on the front artwork (representing Jamaican “Rum” and Russian “Vodka,”) Fly Gypsy’s “Vodka & Rum Mixtape” is a cool combination of clever lyrics over well-sampled production complimented by popular verses and/or hooks from some of your favorites. Remembering Kom, the group’s vocalist, originally from Montego Bay, Jamaica and now residing in the BK, I recall being at the Eubie Blake Jazz Museum in Downtown Baltimore and witnessing his spoken word performance. [Komplex] Thereafter he pulls out a portable credit card machine and informs the crowd he would be selling CD’s later. I have a good memory. After researching the group and learning their credentials, it is quite interesting to watch the perspectives clash and experience what their different backgrounds have allowed them to create collectively.

My favorite cuts from this Mixtape are back-to-back, track 7 and 8. “Wildflower” featuring vocals from Jose Feliciano, describes the bittersweet emotions of a “bad girl” who seems to have a hard exterior. This record describes how this sort of attitude in a woman can hinder particular relationships and sometimes cause one to desire what they cannot have. “Wildflower” is appropriately followed by the hip-hop ballad “Look for You” which depicts the desire to reconnect with a lost love. The expression in these two records allow listeners to gain an understanding and connect with the emotional side of Fly Gypsy during an all-around feel good experience, via Vodka & Rum.