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After a brief spoken-word intro, Out of Nowhere, the solo debut from Propaganda (AKA Jason Petty), the newest member of the LA-based hip-hop supergroup, the Tunnel Rats, settles into a slow-burning, midtempo groove for "Keep It Live," the album's first proper cut.  The opening track is followed by "I Know," a swirling, hypnotic piece and one of the record's standout tracks.  By and large, the better portion of Nowhere's remaining songs follow in the same medium-to-moderately-fast textures of the abovementioned entries.

While Petty's delivery is topnotch across the length of the effort, and the album boasts pristine, full-bodied production values to match, many of the songs begin to run together towards the midsection of the release, and the multiple oratory interludes tend to stall whatever momentum was gained by the non-spoken selections.  And, fans of the bouncier, more comedically-inclined raps of artists like John Reuben or Pigeon John might take a while to cozy up to Nowhere's relatively straight-ahead approach.  Still, if Reuben and John's work is the perfect soundtrack for the youth as they head to the big punk rock show on Friday night, the Out of Nowhere album is a mellower cousin of sorts, perfect for a Saturday afternoon cruise with the top down.

Petty is, without doubt, a sincere and intelligent artist capable of pulling both emotion and creative thought from his audience.  And follow-on projects from the artist seem poised to expand on the rapper's undeniably fluid word use and well-constructed treatises.  Successive outings, however, would probably benefit, though, from a stronger set of musical hooks for his listeners to sink their teeth into.

Bert Gangl 5/8/2003