AMG Review of Rux Revue

Denise Sullivan
All Music Guide

Move over Gil Scott-Heron and Michael Franti, there's another poet on the loose and he's got a mind to speak out: enter lauded New York writer, the deep-voiced Carl Hancock Rux and his recording debut. Rux wastes no time cutting to the chase on the first track "Intro To (r)Evolution," while conjuring the spirit of the aforementioned musicians. His backing band is a dream roster who threaten to overshadow his message: Money Mark on keyboards, Joey Waronker on drums, and the legendary Carol Kaye on bass, among others. They twist and turn the jazz, folk, hip-hop, and rock rhythms inside out, helping to complete Rux's thoughtful commentaries on ghetto life and his place as a black male in the (art) world. In the end, Rux's soul power, delivered from various points of view wins out, proving difficult to ignore.