Album Review: Lyrics Born – Vision Board

Self-Assured, Sensual & Funky

If one wanted to know how Tsutomu “Tom” Shimura, the artist known as Lyrics Born, thinks of himself, they could simply listen to the second track on the newest album Vision Board, “I’m the Best Rapper in the World.”  The confidence that comes from this album oozes out in a playful manner. After almost three decades making music, it feels as though Lyrics Born is taking his collective experience and self-assuredness to interject life into the album. 

This sentiment is reflected in multiple pieces of the project, including “Who’s the Best? (Dear Young LB).” This song is framed as a message to his younger self, and all the accomplishments he’s going to see in the future. As an Asian American musician, and one who has worked to make a dent in the entertainment industry, both in film and music, reflecting on his achievements and engaging in the hype is almost cathartic. His confidence does not go unwarranted as well, the lyricism and patterns produce catchy and well done hooks in songs such as “Go Ape Shit,” where the constant rhyming at a consistent pace fuels the beating drive that makes the song so chaotic and energetic.

This album, and much of the music Lyrics Born has produced, has an abundance of funk energy in every beat. It gives life to some songs that makes you move your head, and it adds a sensual groove to others that makes you move your hips. The retro funk, mixed with the smooth hip hop, gives an undeniable aura of sexiness best shown in the premier song on the album, “Diamond Door.” The way Lyrics Born enunciates the lyrics with a steady baritone feels like a warm fur coat wrapped around your ears. 

It’s a short album, relative to his previous projects, but the brief runtime makes the pace of listening to the album as a whole more cohesive as each song flows into the next. The conciseness of Lyric Born’s latest album assures that his music speaks to his success.