When you hear the word "Speakeasy," what comes to mind? Underground, subversive, secretive? Add "talented" and "creative" to that list. The 3-man crew representing the Midwest, upstate New York and NYC have put together a solid effort for their debut album Secret Knocks. With DJ Quiet on the boards, emcees Paradigm and Rabbi Darkside run through a myriad of topics and concepts with straightforward flows and creative wordplay. Rabbi’s flow and intricate rhyme scheme is a great balance to the strong presence, wordplay and delivery of Paradigm. Each emcee takes turns twisting verses and lines as they flex verbal muscle and introspective lyrics over the dope, drum programming and diverse beat-making of Quiet.

Jazz horns and a funky organ start the journey on "Open Box." Introducing themselves, Darkside and Paradigm run through rapid-fire flows, making up the loop. The concept song "Bi Polar" is next on the menu. Rabbi taking the word "deep" and Paradigm "high," they run through metaphors and wordplay again over horns and guitars. "Essentially" is a personal inventory of each emcee’s life. Paradigm commences by going through his upbringing and taking stock off the many blessings his hard work and family brought him. Rabbi’s haunting account of his own mother’s struggles in raising 2 children and divorce transforms into a salute and verse of gratitude. Quiet lightly plays street noises, children playing, sirens, and cats that segue ways into the more upbeat but no less deep "Degrees." Driven by the boom-bap drums, SpeakEasy breaks down the experiences of summer; honeys, hot weather, cookouts and beer. Adrienne Brown delivers the soulful chorus, keeping the mood and vibe on point.

The more battle orientated "Action" morphs out of the remnants of "Degrees." Over a futuristic keyboard loop, Rabbi and Paradigm rattle off their own brand of abstract braggadocio. Both emcees compliment each other well as they trade semi-automatic fire flows to the spacey track. "Wasteland" provides an imaginary utopia painted by the 2 emcees over more modest bells and syncopated drums. "Kingdom Come" introduces one of the most appealing beats on the album. Funk guitars and drums with chopped piano stabs almost overshadow the royal concept thrown out by Rabbi.

The varied songs are well put together, but at times the fluidity of the album as a whole is lost. Depending on your view, the versatility is a plus or detraction, as at times it may seem that there isn’t a unifying theme or mood, but rather a collection of songs. Still, the collection is solid and well put together. "Prohibition" utilizes more horns and keys as, again, Rabbi and Paradigm deliver the 1-2 punch of metaphor and wordplay. "Mics" is a good song but could have been livelier, if only to get the point across of taking out ‘sucka emcees’ as Paradigm rips into those who aren’t equipped to rock the mic.

The album has bounce, it’s varied and, production-wise, well crafted. As the album progresses, the chemistry between the emcees as they trade concepts and styles that interchange well becomes more obvious. The beats are, for the most part, more subdued on Quiet’s side, but no less bumping, and, most important, they lay the foundation that allow the emcees to shine. Unlike on many independent releases, Secret Knocks shows that each song was crafted with care, and is not a collection of parts thrown together. This is SpeakEasy’s first release and they come out the gate strong, this is definitely a crew to check out in the near future.

Mikal Lee