Tru-Paz – Tru To The Game Without A Pause

Won’t Give You Pause

Tru-Paz are a Canadian foursome that has garnered much praise over the last 10 years, and with their latest release Tru To The Game Without A Pause, the accolades are bound to keep rolling in. Akim, Boozie, and DJ Unknown have been together since the creation of the group, and on this LP, the addition of vocalist Jackie Lu is like adding a new ingredient to a family recipe: the dish tastes the same, but the subtle change enhances the flavor, and one wonders how it was ever made without it before.

One thing about Tru-Paz: they don’t waste a breath bragging or spewing hate on the mic. They have morals and values, two virtues that are rare in this business. On “Like Father Like Son,” the hook “Whatever you want or need/you’ve got the best of me/unconditional love/like father like son” is one of the best examples of this. No baby mamma drama, no womanizing, just straight honesty. The track “Revolution” is built upon one of the most memorable piano pieces of recent years. “When Dance Was Nice” is a great reggae interlude from the more hip-hop oriented tracks of the album and gives Jackie Lu a real chance to shine on her own, rather than simply harmonize and sing background vocals.

Tru-Paz interweaves hip-hop, R&B , and reggae in a fashion that hasn’t been seen since The Fugees, and that should be taken as a compliment, not a comparison. Some bands have good ideas, but struggle to get them across on an album. Fortunately for us, Tru-Paz isn’t one of them.