Coming back after four-year hiatus from releasing solo work, North Carolina’s Lute’s sophomore album Gold Mouf continues to show Dreamville’s increasing depth through the 32-year-olds passion and dynamic skill set. In 13 tracks, Lute finds success through his solid rapping ability and catchy harmonizations. While his writing doesn’t do much more than check off the usual hip-hop boxes in terms of technical craftsmanship, the Dreamville signee does more than just get the job done using an impressive amount of emotion to bring both his melodic and rapping performances full circle. Tracks like the brokenhearted “Eye to Eye” with Cozz and the topically and vocally inspiring “Life” capture this concept at its pinnacle.
Out of all the moments on this project, “Myself” certainly stuck out the most due to the rage-filled performance of Lute, which wraps some heart-piercing lyrics in a fiery coating to reference his life’s biggest obstacles. Although the transition between tracks and styles can feel clunky, and even his singing can be off-kilter at times, the talent displayed all throughout Lute’s performance makes this lp a thrill to consume.
Topping off his all-around talent with a score that’s just as versatile as his own performance, Lute checks off all the boxes to make a very enjoyable experience with a score that’s sonically intuitive yet easily accessible. Spicing up the project when it needs, features from revered mcs such as JID, Saba, Little Brother, and Westside Boogie pump some additional life into the lp through their show-stealing guest verses. Overall, the 43-minute adventure that is Gold Mouf definitely justifies itself through Lute’s inspiring performance and its surrounding strengths.
Rating: 6.3/10
Top 5 Songs:
- Myself
- Be Okay
- Eye To Eye
- Birdsong
- 100
Written By: Mr. Fantastic
