In Search of Stoney Jackson
| In Search of Stoney Jackson | |||||
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| Studio album by Strong Arm Steady | |||||
| Released | January 26, 2010 | ||||
| Recorded | 2009 Strong Arm Studios (Los Angeles, California) |
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| Genre | Hip hop | ||||
| Length | 50:49 | ||||
| Label | Stones Throw | ||||
| Producer | |||||
| Strong Arm Steady chronology | |||||
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| Madlib chronology | |||||
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| Instrumental version cover | |||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 75/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |
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| The A.V. Club | A– |
| Drowned in Sound | (4/10) |
| Dusted Magazine | (mixed) |
| Filter | (84/100) |
| Pitchfork Media | (7.1/10) |
| PopMatters |
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| Q Magazine |
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| Spin | (7/10) |
| Tiny Mix Tapes |
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In Search of Stoney Jackson is the second studio album by California based hip hop group Strong Arm Steady, released on January 26, 2010 under Stones Throw Records. The album's title is referenced to American actor Stoney Jackson who now referees youth basketball games in California. The album, entirely produced by Madlib, features guest appearances from Talib Kweli, Phonte, Fashawn, Evidence, Oh No, Roscoe, Guilty Simpson and a host of underground Los Angeles rappers, as well as former Strong Arm Steady members Planet Asia and Chace Infinite. The rap vocals are mainly performed by Phil Da Agony and Krondon, as Mitchy Slick appears on only two tracks. The album is considered a collaborative album, between Madlib and the L.A. hip hop collective, who chose the beats from 200 potential compositions.
Upon its release, In Search of Stoney Jackson received generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 75, based on 11 reviews. Phil Freeman of AllMusic gave the album four and a half stars out of five, saying "From a purely instrumental standpoint, this album is the equal of the Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique, but without the recognizable hooks--every sound here is ultra-obscure and the more entertaining for it."The A.V. Club's Nathan Rabin gave the album an A–, saying "For an in-demand producer like Madlib, it might not be good business to give some of his most stunning beats to a relatively unknown group, but Jackson is brilliant enough to elevate Strong Arm Steady to the level of cult heroes." Jeremy Moehlmann of Filter gave the album 84%, saying "Solid, workmanlike rhymes abound, but a shortage of mind-blowing moments is tempered by the absence of mediocrity."Okayplayer reviewer Jeff Harvey gave the album an 84 out of 100, saying "All three MCs, particularly an energized Phil Da Agony, deliver more than their share of memorable verses, but they never quite take ownership of the record. It feels like most of the beats were selected to suite the guests, and since there are guests on nearly every track, the end result plays like a first rate Madlib mixtape hosted by Strong Arm Steady. Still, fans of SAS, Madlib, or vintage hip-hop in general will find more than enough heavy hitting beats and gensu-sharp rhymes to keep this album in rotation until Stoney Jackson is found."
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Wikipedia