Ursula 1000

Mystics

(ESL)

Record Review by Kevan Peterson

Mystics opens with a bang, literally, as thunder rolls for the non-musical track “Summoned from the Void.”  Sadly the presumable Mystic summoned is not magical enough at first.  “The Wizard” sounds a bit too glossy and lyrics like “Take heed of my steed,” and “Only a fool would fight in a burning house,” come off more as comical than mystical, unless of course I’m missing the joke.  But the album quickly shifts gears as Ursula 1000, also known as Alex Gimeno, seems to enjoy playing with some varying musical styles, even if the underpinning back beats stay similar.

After a passable excursion into the dance arena with “Rocket,” “Rump” another one word track starting with R, fuses hip-hop into the mold with a vocal track by MC Tee Double.  “I.C.O.M.E.,” besides being an overtly sexual title, features the sensual vocal stylings of Rochelle Vincente Von K.  Taking away from the sensuality of the track, weirdly enough, is the music, which carries a similar danceable backbeat as its predecessor, making this track blend in more than stand out. 

“Losin’ It,” brings some cowbell into the percussive mix.  So many bells and whistles permeate the background that you can almost hear Christopher Walken screaming “More Cowbell!”  Anton Glamb provides the vocals, which are out done by their percussion-centric back track. 

“Zombies” may be the most danceable track about the undead since Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” but falls more on the satirical side than the satanical.  “Do it Right,” is a mostly instrumental track which infuses some loose guitar into it’s center like a cream filling, with a few scattered vocals acting as the cake around the edges.  “Star Machine” goes off the deep end into the land of the absurd with lyrics that go “Eenie, meenie, minnie, moe.”  When the guest vocalist on the track, Mocean Worker, goes “Ursula, you’re hurting them,” you want to counter, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but dance tracks will never hurt me.” 

The album plows through a few more danceable tracks, most notably “Step Back,” which features Jamaican artist Sista Widey, who delivers the most head-bobbing performance on the album.  The constant bleeps throughout the track, which are meant to be instrumental and not as alternatives to swearing, sound more like cell phone text messages than anything that compliments the track. 

Overall, Ursula 1000’s fourth studio album, Mystics, delivers some solid tunes and some worthwhile tracks, occasionally missing opportunities to explore areas of his music that may have otherwise been interesting as he becomes controlled by his own structured beats, which propel him down a one way street, despite all the avenues available to him.