N.A.S.A., as described on their cover, is “an ongoing creative collaboration between two lifelong music aficionados, Squeak E. Clean and DJ Zegon, and their friends, friends of friends and musical heroes.” The Spirit of Apollo, released this February, is the producers’ debut on the Anti label.

The album’s seventeen tracks incorporate several styles, including hip-hop, electronica, rock, samba, funk, pop, and R&B. Over three dozen participating musicians, DJs, and singers are featured here: Chuck D, RZA, Method Man, Seu Jorge, Ghostface Killah, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, M.I.A., John Frusciante (solo artist and guitarist for Red Hot Chili Peppers), DJ AM, KRS-One, Karen O (lead vocalist of Yeah Yeah Yeahs), and Nina Persson (singer and lyricist for The Cardigans) are among some of the notable collaborators on this project. They weren’t kidding about the inclusion of musical heroes — Tom Waits, George Clinton, and David Byrne (of legendary The Talking Heads fame) all make an appearance.

The Spirit of Apollo took the producers five years to bring together, which would explain ODB’s presence on the album (he died in late 2004 of a drug overdose). The efforts of the producers and all of the participators truly shine through on the highly dynamic and diverse sounds heard throughout this record. Each artist seems to have been given free range; no one is stifled and yet, despite the far-ranging styles, words flying back and forth, and everything mashing up together, it is all made to work out amazingly. As in “Spacious Thoughts”, Tom Wait’s signature vocals are powerful as ever and work well next to Kool Keith’s rap, both overlaid on a hip-hop, drum-based piano beat.

The lyrical content and basic beats of this record is expected. If you like these artists, you will like this album, and what you would naturally expect to hear from them is what you invariably will. While the artists are allowed full artistic liberty (which is great), the producers don’t do enough to make the tracks distinctively N.A.S.A., wholly their own (which isn’t great).

In the end, albums of this nature are always welcome. Musicians coming together to celebrate their medium and each other … there’s genuine heart in that, which anyone will appreciate.



Track Listing:
Intro
The People Tree
Money
N.A.S.A. Music
Way Down
Hip Hop
Four Rooms, Earth View
Strange Enough
Spacious Thoughts
Gifted
A Volta
There’s A Party
Whachadoin?
O Pato
Samba Soul
The Mayor
N.A.S.A. Anthem