Then, what do you think I heard? I was sitting there, eating a cup of noodles and beef, and I heard the beautiful hip hop of the infamous anime Samurai Champloo. Yes, one of my favorite animes, I had forgotten how rooted (almost entirely) in hip hop it was and I looked for some of the songs, only to fall in love and look for the soundtracks. As I fell in love with those I said to myself, "Self, these men are geniuses... look for more!" And self did, and self found a smorgasbord of music, two albums right off the back and two more later in the year, and another one the next year. And when I finally sat down to look at just who was responsible for so much of this I saw the name: Nujabes.

Nujabes, along with TSUTCHIE and DJ Krush, are my favorite non-US producers (I say non-US because it implies that they have no peers anywhere outside of the US) ever, but Nujabes is the first because his mellow beats not only inspired me but inspired my friends and inspired lovers. I wish I can remember the exact moment I heard his stuff for the first time (it was comparable to my eargasm when I first listened to Illmatic or Lupe Fiasco's Food and Liquor. You see, that's the beauty of his production; Nujabes samples mellow vibes, jazz and sounds of Japan, and he puts them into sick beats, sick beats that he uses to train others, to create proteges, and his independent record label is prime proof of that.

Whew... I don't think I can praise this man enough, nor do I want to stop praising him, but I have to stick to the topic at hand. This is a review for his latest album, the appropriately titled Mellow Beats, Friends and Lovers. Don't let the title deceive you: you will hear a bit of everything they describe in it on this album.

The album begins with a silky smooth cover of the Sade hit "Kiss of Life", production from the master Nujabes and vocals from the talented Giovanca and Benny Sings, a cover I expected to fall under the shadow of the original; to my surprise it came close to achieving the same emotional feel of the original, just falling a mite short for reasons that can't be put on paper. The next track is "After It", another mellow track (what did I tell you?) with a rainy backdrop and bonus production from No. 9; bonus production is a special term I use because Nujabes produces a heavy amount of the album but calls for some guest help often. This is an example, as are several of them. The next song is the nearly 9 and a half minute long "Aurora", produced in collaboration with Chari Chari. I say get this person a sandwich because it takes a special production to last so long and not get annoying. I do think it runs too long but it changes up as the minutes pass by so it stays fresh.

Next we have "Sitting on the Beach", with bonus production from "Calm". I was appreciative of how it wasn't another 9.5 minute monster, thank God; it captured a bit of a beach/islander feel to it like a party on a shore at sunset. The next track is "Green Power" with bonus production from Ino Hidefumi, a sick song combining the mellow with the friends (yep, it's about to shift) that reminds me a little bit of a song called "Angel Eyes", but I can't remember who did that song. Does it feel like a rip off? No, not at all, just a coincidental nod of appreciation I suppose. I don't get the title, not at all, but then again I don't get the names of half of Nujabes' song's titles.

If you haven't figured it out yet, Nujabes likes instrumentals. I do too, lets your imagination run a little wild. That's not to say he doesn't produce for rappers but it's just half of his repertoire. The next song is "Departure", featuring Akira Kosemura. Of all the songs on the album this one is the most friendly (friendly being a tip of the hat to the title of the LP). I think Nujabes meant to insert this kind of logic into the album. In any case this song is a sugary sweet treat, leading right into the one track some people might know in the states. "Right Here" is, I believe, one of the few tracks that Nujabes didn't handle. DJ Mitsu the Beats handles the head nodding, Sunday drive music production and the vocals are handled by one of neo-soul's golden boys (heh...) Dwele. Seriously, I've heard that one or two people have heard this before, but I don't know, who cares? This song is perfect for a Sunday drive or a nice little date with a special young lady (are you seeing this?!) in the mall. Dwele knows what to say.

"Jazzy Joint" is a song by J.A.M. featuring Jose James. After you stop laughing at the alliteration you have to sit down, listen to this song and appreciate the bebop feel to it and note how Jose James is singing and rapping simultaneously in some points. This track feels like a jump into an older era or a sexy night lounge, down to the minimalist feel of the production. After the alliteration massacre we have Sora's "Revans", a hauntingly calm song hard to explain because of how it acts almost like "Departure" did as a transitional song from mellow to friends; this time friends to lovers. Now, "Gelnia", feautring Takagi Masakatsu is probably my favorite instrumental track up here because it has a sound I'd expect from somewhere like Japan while adding a jazzy flair, a trademark of Hydeout Productions. This is a seduction track almost.

Next we dive into "The Session", featuring three people, three names I can't remember. This is to me what the Roots would do if Black Thought wasn't rapping; its something I imagine the Roots doing regardless, just having a jam session for the hell of it. This is a jam session for the hell of it, and a good one at that. All four artists listed (not here but on the track) contribute something akin to a verse and it fits nicely, nice and jazzy. Finally (not the last track but still I'd been waiting for it) is "Lust", a nice way to conclude the lovers aspect of the album (don't worry, I know what I said), and sure enough Rei Harakami just oozes lust with this track, total lust. It's sensual lust too, not "nasty girl bent over for a gangbang" lust but "shy girl enticing you" lust, very different.

World Supreme Funky Fellowship 2102 drops an interesting track with "#1 Dub", maybe my least favorite track but that's not a sign of disrespect or anything so much as a matter of timing; it belonged up in the mellow beats part. Anyway the song is like something a child would be around for, something a child would live to. It's like waking up under a big tree in a meadow with a sleeping puppy next to you. It's kid stuff, just like it needs to be.

My personal favorite track on the album is up now, "Vision Eyes" featuring the rapper Golden Boy (hence my earlier laugh) and Nujabes' protege Uyama Hiroto on production. I heard this song on Uyama's own album, "A Son of the Sun" (which I will review in a short time) and fell in love with it then so listening to it now it's like, "Glad to hear it again." The song is simply Golden Boy gazing at the wonders of life. I like this song, very much so. Next we come to the third vocal track with "Maintain" featuring O.C. and producer Grooveman Spot. We continue with the feel of the past with both the wordplay and the beat, a throwback to the bebop of decades past once again and the golden age rapping of the 80s.

The final song is pure Nujabes again, the Japanese-inspired "Child's Attraction". This is a fine way to close out the album, especially in concluding the fourth theme: childlike memoria. Yep, I just made up a new term. In any case the song ends off the fourth theme with Nujabes doing exactly what he always does, and that's ending the album with an epic feel.

I've had little but great praise for this album and its hard to find many faults, but there are two things that hold this back from taking a place as a classic album in my book. The first and most obvious is mood. The mood this album sets is definitely calm and rest worthy, but at times it can drag on and just sound boring, especially if you're just listening to it track to track and not pausing for anything. Even I found myself nodding a little bit or getting surprised when some of the songs seemed to blend together, especially during a phase or before a transition. My second complain is with the fact that this is a compilation. Compilation albums take a special meaning with Nujabes, however, because it feels like a new album but its a collection of tracks from other albums, something I picked up on the most clearly with the Dwele-assisted track and "Vision Eyes", one track I question the original origin of and the latter one I heard on Uyama's debut. Granted, I'm noticeably biased to compilation albums but I'd be a total hypocrite if I said I didn't have a few floating around in my iPod, one of them ironically enough (not this one) from Nujabes. Maybe I just need to find Hydeout Production's total discography, that'll help out. Until then, though, I have this compilation album and I love it despite my hate for compilation albums.

The DiZ Score: 4 out of 5