Tela Now Or Never (Slow) CD

Tela's NOW OR NEVER is distinguished by the sophistication of it's production and the advanced conceptualism at work throughout its smoothly-flowing 20 (!) cuts. The range of musical styles drawn on for the tracks is remarkable; everything from funk and R&B to pop and even classical music is employed here. There's a grandness to the themes here, which raise the typical gangsta concerns to an almost mythical level. This grandiose approach doesn't mean that there's any immediacy or viscerality sacrificed on NOW OR NEVER, though--it resonates like the most street-credible hop-hop. Listening to what will surely be viewed as Tela's masterwork, the listener is transported into an almost cinematic experience; think of NOW OR NEVER as the greatest hip-hop film you never saw.

This is an example of the Southern Rap "screwed" mix style.

Recorded at House Of Blues, Memphis, Tennessee and Hippie House, Houston, Texas.

Engineers: Nil Jones, Kevin Haywood, Micah Harrison.

Personnel: Tela, Stephanie Bolton, Mike Butler, Yamonika Carter, Stephen Foster, Sandra Hasselburg, Kelly Hurt, Max Julien, Marcus McRee, Jazze Pha, Dwayne Smith, Kirk Smothers, Zachary Wallace (vocals); J. Christopher Arrison, Mike Butler, Eric Gales, Anthony "Tony" Gentry, Neal Jones, Frank Ray Jr., Eric Lewis, Yvette Preyer, Frank Ray, The Hoodlumz, Too Short, Do Or Die, Big Zach.

Producers include: Tela, Jazze Pha, Sam Sneed, BJB, D.J. Jus Borne.

The Source (11/98, p.196) - 3 Mics (out of 5) - "...Packed with nine chapters of misogynist beats and rhymes, NOW OR NEVER is a musical guide to pimpin'....it's pretty solid..."