Closing out a trio of hip-hop posts, we have ourselves a fine, and I mean fine, piece of  jazz/hip-hop/r&b.

Just Chillin’ In The Spot is a 2008 album from Freddie Cruger aka Red Astaire, an old-school rapper, and it's as wholesome, crafty, and listenable as they come. Think back to the last old school hip-hop album you listened to all the way through, and it's just like that... just a really sweet vibe in general.

It's harder than you'd think to execute something like this, an album you can throw on and be comforted and chilled out, but focused at the same time. Instrumental hip-hop tends to do that, but this is more than just instrumental hip-hop. Freddie uses a bunch of different styles (funk, soul) at different moments to make the experience, like I said, wholesome. The beats are extremely laid back most of the time, but he throws in some more intricate stuff here and there to keep it unique.

I haven't talked about the lyrical content, but frankly those aren't the mainstay. There are a bunch of female vocal spots and Freddie steps in to drop a verse here and there, but the beat carries most of these songs.  Nothing is forced, but it also never gets boring. All in all, a solid, solid, release.

You can hear all the songs Last.fm, but I recommend streaming it through Rhapsody so you don't have any interruptions.

http://www.myspace.com/redastaire