From the building string sections of Intro, I thought the hip-hop producer RJD2 was about to start something about as innovative as Hilltop Hoods playing with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. But as the Intro blended into the hooky, Ben-Folds sounding You Never Had It So Good it was clear that RJD2 was breaking the boundaries of what is hip-hop and what isn’t. Hence why he even moved from the NYC home of Hip-Hop, the ‘Definitive Jux’ label over to ‘XL Recordings’ (home of Basement Jaxx and other electronic/pop artists).

RJD2 has been doing some solo work since the release of his 2002 album Deadringer which incorporated a lot of funk/soul elements into the hip-hop soundscape. However, his latest album The Third Hand takes a huge dive into blending singer/songwriter and hip-hop and seeing what can happen. And for a majority of this mix bag of an album, it works.

RJD2 has carefully constructed the album using a blend of sampled and live instruments and also takes a step into the deep end by singing on 11 of the 15 songs. Overall, RJD2 embraces the singer/songwriter genre like a true pro, such as the heartfelt ballad Someday. I’m sure many listeners wouldn’t have even thought the old RJ even produced hip-hop. That’s not to say this album doesn’t leave the old hip-hop fans astray, with some urban production shining through on the standout Beyond The Beyond and the funky Sweet Piece.

It’s definitely clear that RJD2 was a producer, as sometimes his work is over polished and over produced. RJ also destroys a lot of great songs by throwing on over the top effects, such as Reality with overdubbed and overly flanged vocals that is virtually un-bearable. Sometimes it seems RJD2 has used every piece of equipment in his outboard racks for the sheer fact that he has them. That’s producers for you. Regardless, the production suits the album and is a fine line between hip-hop and indie pop production.

But really, the whole album is a fine line between lots of genres. Hip-hop, indie pop, singer/songwriter, funk/soul. It’s all here and mish mashed into one. An extremely ambitious and well crafted album where some songs work fantastically and other songs sound like they are out of place and have nowhere to go. If it was slightly more accessible to the general listener, RJD2 would be on a win.