“The first song and featured single is “After Party,” which certainly could close out a night at the club and get an after party going. It’s highly kinetic and pushes you to stand up, dance, and “leave your worries at the door.” Next, “Brainfield” opens with a steady-flowing but heavy rap delivered over an entirely danceable beat, though its musical center of gravity is more in the realm of jazz peppered with funk. “Neva Comin’ Back” moves from a mellow intro into brassy horns, this time taking its vocal cues from rock stylings. The stripped-down, beats-and-rhymes “Spectacular” is short enough to be little more than an interlude, but ends up highlighting the collective’s core strengths. Skipping ahead, “Stand Off” flows right into the tempo-upping, party-restarting “Almost Let it Get To Me,” and then comes the more subdued “Chill Wait” to unwind the album (and, presumably, the night). It’s a long one–nearly seven minutes in total–and it manages to be both intense and chill-worthy, thanks to lyrics that are tough but smooth and choral peaks that are bright but restrained. “Outro” aligns with the laid-back side of its predecessor, signalling the end of the party with a final thirty seconds of instrumentals. Diverse and dependable, the cLOUD9 LP is the type of album a club DJ could spin from start to finish without changing a thing, and it’s a welcome introduction to the pool of talent that is Chicago Loud 9.” -www.soundparlor.com
Illinois Entertainer names cLOUD9 one of the best local acts Chicago 2013. You can see the publication here.
“cLOUD9 has some good music! Of course after all submissions, we check out all of the music we can find on that particular artist right away. What caught our attention about cLOUD9, is that we ended up listening to all their music without even skipping one song. Their sound is so refreshing! They mash up some music that have nothing in common and make it sound GOOD!”
Check out the full article and interview here:
http://imoveilive.com/music-after-party-by-cloud9-chicago-il/
Exclusive video of Chicago Loud 9 performing “Can Hardly Wait” at Metro Chicago live on December 13, 2013.
“I’m ending this jam pack Spotlight Saturday with the debut LP from the Chicago Loud 9 collective. A band with no genre. Really. I can’t pigeon hold them. For ’cLOUD9′ does something most modern day records do…fuse hard rock & rap. Fantastically. Because you sometimes get rap with live instruments or hard rock with rap guests artists but Chicago Loud 9 makes it the core of their soul funk. Though I have never been to Chicago…dream of mine for sure!…this hybrid feels very grounded in what I imagine the music scene is in the windy city. Blues Brothers 3000xx could be a better example with nine musicians who bring rap, soul, rock, ska, blues, funk, reggae, more soul, fun to each track. Digged the horns the most.
I haven’t had more fun listening to an album all week because ‘cLOUD9′ is loud, ever changing, surprising, and just so much fun to bump. You’ll reach cloud 9, heaven’s gates maybe, and prop a seat. I’ll be the weird guy vibing in front who will be slowly going deaf. Turn your system up to ‘cLOUD9′ now!”