Ohmega Watts - The Find

Ohmega Watts
"That Sound feat. Lightheaded, The Procussions and Noelle" from The Find (2005, Ubiquity Records)
"Treasure Hunt feat. Sugar Candy" from The Find (2005, Ubiquity Records)

Ungh...faunky! Ohmega Watts (one-third of Portland's Lightheaded crew) hits us off with his solo debut, "The Find", an eclectic mix of funk, soul and Hip Hop flavor.

What makes this album dope? For one, its refreshing. "That Sound", a west coast posse cut consisting of Lightheaded and The Procussions, with Noelle of The Rebirth singing the hook, personifies my sentiment. This is one of the most vibrant and upbeat tracks I've heard all year. Can you say "fresh"? This is only the tip of the iceberg, "The Find" is filled to the brim with funkiness.

An impressive detail of "The Find" is that it's completely self-produced. Ohmega Watts often takes a break from the rhymes to show off his talent on the production side of things in the form of instrumentals and vocalist-backed cuts. A stand-out example of this would be "Treasure Hunt", which features the soulful vocals of Sugar Candy. These tracks serve as a welcome departure from the purely Hip Hop cuts, forming a diverse yet cohesive album.

Above all else, what sold me on this album is its consistency. Despite clocking in at over seventy minutes long and being twenty-two tracks deep, all tracks meld together to create a solid, front-to-back listen. It's not often an album of such length isn't met with the gripe of having too many "filler tracks". This definitely isn't the case with "The Find", nothing here is expendable. From its funky, rare groove Hip Hop bangers to its soulful, vocalist backed tracks, this album represents the perfect balance of both quality and quantity.

To learn more about Ohmega Watts, visit his crew's website at WeAreLightheaded.com. "The Find" is in stores now.