Mark Masri Christmas Is... CD

\"For Slaughter and Keating, simple doesn\'t just mean uncluttered beats, though that, too, characterizes their sound. Simplicity also means eschewing gimmicky personas in favor of being themselves. It\'s reflected in the group\'s moniker, a blending of their given names, as well as the duo\'s penchant for addressing each other as Emily and Aran in their songs.

\"We\'re two separate people doing this thing together,\" Slaughter says. And with A Personal Matter, AK Slaughter is banking on that symbiosis of their two distinct personalities.

With a quick tongue and ready laugh, Slaughter comes off as the more outgoing of the duo. Keating is quieter on all subjects save his love for music; he has a tendency to let his words trail off into an almost imperceptible softness, though loquaciousness takes root when he discusses the merits of \'70s funk. It\'s a dynamic you can see hints of when the group performs. Slaughter enjoys stepping into the crowd to dance or watch Keating do his thing. On the mic, she is a smart ass and a touch outrageous, purloining all manner of BS--from dreary day jobs to ego-trippers--with a self-described \"playground rap style.

\" Think: decidedly throwback, nearly singsong delivery evoking the likes of Roxanne Shante, the Beastie Boys, and the childhood art of cracks.