It has been, roughly, two months since the last time the young oceanic emcee, Khary Durgans, crawled up from out of the murky depths and blessed listeners with new music. His Love+Anchors project, released in February, was an equal mix of emotional introspection, and nerdy pondering, with a splash of random nautical themes that all combined to create a quirky, engaging debut. Seemingly comfortable in his own discomfort, Drugans has embarked in a direction that many of his contemporaries shudder away from: finding genuine humor, entertainment, and gut wrenching sadness all in his vulnerability. This quality sets him apart from the rest and keeps fans anxious to hear more of his easily identifiable tracks.
When Durgans came ashore this time, it sounds like he didn't settle on the beach, but continued into the forest. "The Giving Tree" is filled with the exotic chirps of birds and the howling of small animals, as if it sampled an Animal Planet documentary. Prof. Logik's drums break from Durgans' signature sound; carrying a faster, higher octane vibe that keeps your head nodding. This change is more than welcomed, as it stretches the talent of the emcee.
"The Giving Tree" may be one of Durgans' best performances yet. He zips through verses at dizzying speeds, trading his usual deliberate flow for double time delivery. Thankfully, he doesn't lose any of his emotive passion with this transition; rather it feels like his feelings are propelling him to spit faster and harder. Durgans describes the tumultuous relationships and lifestyle of a twenty-something-year-old in society today. There are also many allusions to the Shel Silverstein children book with the same title, especially the theme of constant unappreciated selfless love. Instead of a somber, moody song, Durgans creates this fast paced snare heavy record, which smoothly encapsulates his distinct style and unorthodox thought pattern.
Khary Durgans is like the class clown of the Honor's class: he is insanely aware of everything going around him and is incredibly bright, but still attempts to mask things with a plethora of jokes. As strange as it may seem, it is an endearing comparison. Each track reveals more of his incredible wit and social commentary, while still describing enough about him to keep listeners attached. "The Giving Tree" reaffirms his budding talent.
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/147964805" params="color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]
