Justin Warfield is often seen as a innovator in retrospect. He paved the way for the future Trip Hop scene and also starred on different tracks by Bomb The Bass and The Chemical Brothers. This is his debut album, produced by multiple producers including Quincy Jones’s son. It is seen as a cult classic, although it did not sell very well at the time. Let’s hear it and see how it stacks up today.

We begin with Tequilla Flats which has a lush and tripped out set of beats and instumental melodies here. Only half a minute long, it is a good taste of what will come our way all the same.

Next is Introduction which has some more trippy sounds and samples here that are really quite cool. A clever and druggy piece, Justin Warfield delivers very well here. It is very short, once again, at a minute long. Still, a fresh and inspired listen, before the main album kicks in.

Dip Dip Divin’ has some great beats and samples. It is a great piece from the start, and sounds really clever, forward thinking and amazing. Most Rap these days is purely commercial and does not have much realism to it. However, Justin Warfield made something truly impressive with legendary samples and trippy sounds. This is really different to anything else in the world of music today, and is catchy and memorable to begin this album with. A fun and fresh tune, much appreciated upon listening.

K Sera Sera begins with some more lush samples and Justin Warfield rapping along in a very talented way. The lyrics are quite socially conscious here. There are a great deal of wonderful samples and style here that hasn’t aged much at all. A really adventurous and precise piece of musicianship, Justin Warfield and co. have made a wonderful piece of music, without question. A decent piece of music, very nice to listen to.

Next is Fisherman’s Grotto which begins with some women talking about a fight going to happen, before this piece kicks off immediately after. It is a brilliant and uplifting piece of original Rap music that actually is really good, and totally underrated of course. A huge mesh of funky, fresh and fun samples are here. Justin Warfield deserves much respect and appreciation for such great music here. He is obviously very talented here, and songs like these on this album are culture busting and awesome stuff. Like a clairvoyant, Justin Warfield is ahead of his time. A great, moshing sort of listen. Great stuff. Excellent tune.

Following is Live From The Opium Den which begins with banging beats and a sitar sound, with chanting. Justin Warfield then gets Rapping away, and we have a real talent here and the lyrics are interesting and funny simultaneously. Justin Warfield is really cool on this recording, and definitely amazing too. He references many Pop culture icons here, and does a wonderful job at lyrics and sound. Brilliant, and although it is somewhat a very drug influenced track, it is really top listening. A great listen from start to finish, and that is not an exaggeration. Most Rap music ages very quickly. Justin Warfield’s debut album has not. Great and fresh sounding, a top listen. The outro is interesting.

Glass Tangerine begins with a cell phone ringing, and immediately goes into some tripped out sounds. It then goes bang into a groovy and amazing sounding piece, something that The Chemical Brothers and Dr. Dre would dig if they were tripping hard. Many drug references are on this song, and tracks like these immortalise Justin Warfield. A semi-guitar solo is in this track as well. A distorted drum beat and a huge array of samples keeps this track going. Wonderful listening and very unusual, but great. Towards the end, a huge array of samples and speech finish this one off. Nice stuff.

Guavafishcentepede – Aquatic Meditations is next, with some trippy bass guitar and downtempo beats without any lyrics here. It is very much an interlude tune, with some really trippy and lush sounds to hear. The production on this album is immaculate. Justin Warfield does well here, some delayed acoustic guitars finish off this short piece, merely over a minute long. Great all the same.

Next is Teenage Caligula which begins with a sampled voice of a supposed genie, before going into a very amazing track with some banging beats, psychedelic samples and trippy horns. This is really great listening, Justin Warfield delivers very well here. Some incredible beat boxing is here too. Great tune and very impressive.

Following is Cool Like The Blues which is a longer piece which has a semi-live intro, before some absolutely trippy sounds enter, along with some saxophone. It then goes into a solid Rap tune that should be cranked at full volume if possible. A really excellent piece of music and not at all like Blues music, this is incredible music and hugely underrated as a track. A must listen for any Rap lovers out there, this is amazing and legendary. The montage of samples and attitude here really sound great. Wonderful and catchy, this music will last forever. Towards the end, there is some subdued wah-wah guitar and other samples to finish off this piece, enough to melt your mind. Clever and interesting.

Drugstore Cowboy comes next, with an awesome intro and Justin Warfield rapping about a huge amount of drugs and other immoral things to boot. It sounds really cool regardless, and although is more simple compared to the other tracks here, Justin Warfield is an LSD taking legend here. This is very explicit music, so don’t play it to kids or people who hate illicit drugs. Still, this is an epic listen that sounds really awesome and clever. A tale of mischief and other similar things, this is a great tune that blows away all other drug influenced musical moments. This is really fun and interesting listening nonetheless. Cool, but very explicit. Great job, possibly based on a true story, you would think?

Pick It Up Y’All begins with a short sample of speech, before going into a more punchy and direct Rap piece that is really excellent. A loud and fun listen, this is super awesome stuff with a great sense of musicality about it. Justin Warfield obviously was not a one trick pony musically, and Raps about some interesting experiences. Great and awesome, this is so mindblowing that it sounds like it could have been made today. This is well ahead of its time, and Justin Warfield deserves credit for this. The second half is somewhat more subdued, before going into a mock Hardcore Punk sort of thing before going straight back into the tune at hand. Intelligent Rap for smart people, this is legendary.

Next is B-Boys On Acid which begins with a sitar style melody, before launching into a more straightforward tune that kicks along nicely in every way. Justin Warfield obviously was doing drugs, and a lot of them at that. This is a really amazing tune, just like all the other groundbreaking tracks here. Some really psychedelic and surreal lyrics are here, and this tune is probably ideal for taking hallucinogens. Great quality tune, just make sure you have an open mind listening to this one, drugs are involved lyrically, at least. It ends as it started, with the sitar style melody and beats. Brilliant.

Following is Storm Clouds Left Of Heaven has some delayed vocals and talk of lighting candles and rain, before some really banging beats enter. This builds up slowly and gradually, before going into a semi-Rap tune, except it is not a typical Rap piece by any measure. A huge amount of sounds and samples enter, and this is obviously a piece to get high to. Justin Warfield proves himself as a decent music maker. A good listen, even though this piece is not a highlight of the album. Towards the end, some acoustic guitar and the vocal samples finish this track off. A bit weird, but still great.

Thoughts In The Buttermilk begins with some real sounding drumbeats and horn melodies, before going into a more typical piece by Justin Warfield. This has some well rapped lyrics and a pacing tempo to match. Justin Warfield’s Rap is quite quick here, so listen carefully and pay attention to this track. A saxophone solo is in the middle of this track here, which is really a nice addition to this piece. Simple, but fresh, this track is very good and is a great showcase of a talent and name largely forgotten today. Still, you can listen to this album now and give it credit where it deserves. The horn solos throughout are really excellent. A great piece of music, complete with some funky wah-wah guitar at the end. Brilliant. It fades out gently.

Tequilla Flats (Ghosts Of Laurel Canyon) (Includes Hidden Material) is the last track here. With some brilliant reprised opening textures, it quickly fades away. There is some silence for a bit, before some answering machine messages are played which are weird. Some further computerised voice phone prompts are here, with no sense at all being on this album. More silence is here, before some watery noises and birds chirping begin. A sitar then kicks in and we have a weird extra track without Rapping. These samples stop and start, which is pretty odd. Some sounds of what seems like rainwater then enter, before this odd musical piece continues. It eventually finishes, and we end the album here.

This is a really amazing sounding album that was well ahead of its time. Unfortunately, Justin Warfield and this album never got the credit it deserved back in 1993, although it is definitely really excellent and has aged well. If you like Rap, drugs and tripped out sounds, this is a great album for you to hear.

Entertaining.

9/10