St Lunatics Free City CD

Additional personnel includes: Brian McKnight (vocals); Cardan, Penelope (rap vocals); Amber Tabares (spoken vocals); Steve Eigner (guitar); Bashiri Johnson (percussion).

It's a testament to the collective spirit of the St. Louis rappers that even after one of their members (Nelly) managed to snag a record deal before they did, and subsequently became a multi-million selling hip-hop star, they continued working. It's even more heartening to see that Nelly is still a member of the group, but FREE CITY isn't just a star's side-project, St. Lunatics are a real group, and all the members contribute equally.

Sure, Nelly brings his instantly recognizable (at least it should be, after all the airtime he's gotten) style to the table, and even makes reference to the after-effects of his huge success. But he's not the dominant voice; each of the St. Lunatics has his own sound, and when they come together they create a sound that is the compound result of working together towards a common goal. While they're capable of the occasional trenchant social observation, St. Lunatics generally avoid gritty thug scenarios in favor of a celebratory, party atmosphere that makes FREE CITY enjoyable on its own terms, regardless of the inherent star power.

Additional personnel includes: Brian McKnight (vocals); Cardan, Penelope (rap vocals); Amber Tabares, Little Rock, Donneash Ferguson (spoken vocals); Steve Eigner (guitar); Bashiri Johnson (percussion).

Recorded at Electric Lady Studios, Sound On Sound Recordings and Unique Studios, New York, New York.

Producers: Jason "Jay E" Epperson, Lavell "City Spud" Webb.

Engineers: Steve Eigner, Duro, Gimel "Young Guru" Keaton.

Personnel: Brian McKnight (vocals); City Spud, Penelope, Kyjuan, Ali, Murphy Lee, Nelly, Cardan (rap vocals); Steve Eigner (guitar); Bashiri Johnson (percussion).

Audio Mixers: John Adler; Richard Travali.

Recording information: Electric Lady Studios, New York, NY.

Photographer: Jonathan Mannion.

Parental Advisory. Guests: Ja Rule,Cam'Ron,Rza,Cormega

St. Lunatics: Nelly, Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, Ali, City Spud (rap vocals).

Rolling Stone (7/5/01, p.136) - 3 out of 5 stars - "...A fun crash course on how the Midwest rides....with sparkly booming beats and top-down abandon..."
Rolling Stone (7/5/01, p.136) - 3 out of 5 stars - "...A fun crash course on how the Midwest rides....with sparkly booming beats and top-down abandon..."
Q (Summer/01, p.111) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Clever and funny..."
Q (Summer/01, p.111) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Clever and funny..."
NME (Magazine) (6/23/01, p.39) - 8 out of 10 - "...Exuberant, attitude-free and plain adorable..."
NME (Magazine) (6/23/01, p.39) - 8 out of 10 - "...Exuberant, attitude-free and plain adorable..."