A few months ago, Black Milk quietly dropped a short project with a singer named Mel titled
Burning Stones. Without much fanfare, the four-song EP boasted the most substantive work Black Milk has done outside of rap.
The EP is much more powerful than just an extramarital affair with another genre. The slow, deep simmer of Mel's voice over the funky, soulful range Black packs could hold my ear for more than four tracks.
"Back At You" is the home run. Over drums that lay in the pocket just so and a guitar that sounds like a weeded Neville Brothers track, Mel steals the show. Mel's voice sits at a balance between the last cigarette of Saturday night and the first hymn of Sunday morning. Her bars focus on transcending the everyday bullshit with a sincerity and strength that is not made in the studio.
Let's hope Black and Mel keep at it!