Pigeon John

Pigeon John's Sing the Blues is restless and evocative, more fun than difficult as it vacillates between eras, changing genres like J-Lo switches hitches. One minute it's goofy barbershop hip-hop for the iPod gen; the next beat-smart hipster-hop for Urban Outfit addicts. "Upside Down Rotten" and "Perfect Formality" are opiated and self-aware, while "Matter 101" and "You Can't Have It" are slight and raw. It's the sort of album that Prince Paul would've created a decade ago, and it works in the same vein as Gorillaz and Gnarls Barkley.