Review: 'Felt 3' does the right things

Every couple of years, Slug (the MC half of Atmosphere) and Murs (from indie-rap supergroup Living Legends) team up to write an album in "tribute" to an actress they each want to sleep with. The resulting albums, 2002's "A Tribute to Christina Ricci" and 2005's "A Tribute to Lisa Bonet," though having little to actually do with the actresses in question, offered up some of the best songs either has been a part of to date. This time around, the two picked out Rosie Perez (of "Do the Right Thing" fame) and the result is a fitting continuation in the Felt series.

On previous records, Murs and Slug each pulled in fellow collaborators to handle the beats. For "Christina Ricci," the duo traveled to Los Angeles to work with Murs' Living Legends producer The Grouch. For "Lisa Bonet," it was Slug's turn as they recorded in his hometown Minneapolis with Atmosphere producer Ant handling the beats.

This time around, Murs and Slug each stepped out of their respective comfort zones, getting underground hip-hop stalwart Aesop Rock for the backing tracks. The combination is like something out of an indie-rap fan's wet dream and, well, the group delivers big-time with "Felt 3: A Tribute to Rosie Perez."

With Aesop Rock in charge, the beats depart significantly from the work of The Grouch on "Christina Ricci" or Ant's '70s throwback funk feel that defined "Lisa Bonet." The soundscapes are darker, the drumbeats heavier, the effects more prominent. The new feel is a bit jarring at first, but won't take long to win listeners over and should open up the door for plenty more production work for Aesop in the future.

"Ghost Dance Deluxe" weaves Murs' and Slug's lyrics about chasing after a girl over an eerie beat complete with a horn section and low synths that wouldn't sound out of place of Atmosphere's last record "When Life Gives You Lemons…"

On previous records, Murs and Slug were at their best when feeding off each other's energy-see: "I Shot A Warhol" and "Employees of the Year" off "Lisa Bonet" or "Aneurysm" and "Rick James" off "Christina Ricci." On "Rosie Perez," the chemistry is near-perfect between the two, especially on the rapid-fire ego trips "Felt Chewed Up" and "She Sonnet."

Slug and Murs don't exactly break new lyrical ground - there are still girl songs, "Ghost Dance Deluxe," put-down songs, "Whaleface" and even put-down songs about girls, "Henrietta Longbottom."

At the same time the rhymes are some of the tightest the two have put on record and at times show off an unapologetic self-awareness that manages to assert the two's prominence in the hip-hop scene without coming off as trite or fake. On "Felt Good," Murs raps "You can call it backpack, indie-rap if you want to / Say it's emo-hop for the hipsters but f--- you / We do it for the public that's tired of that thug s--- / You know it's the greatest 'cuz your girlfriend loves it."

With 21 tracks and clocking in at over an hour long, "Rosie Perez" is Felt's lengthiest album to date and over twice as long as "Christina Ricci." But the increased quantity doesn't necessarily mean a dip in quality. Instead, "Rosie Perez" is start to finish one of the most solid and consistent albums to come from Murs or Slug since the last time the two got together.

At the end of album closer, "Paul Reubens," Slug hints that the duo are far from being done collaborating, ending with the lines: "So push up the light / Peace nighty night / Stay tuned, Felt number four: Tribute to Heidi Fleiss." If that's the case, the hip-hop world should have plenty to look forward to.

Check out: "Protagonists," "Felt Chewed Up," "She Sonnet," "Like You"