"After spending 3 years outside of the box, I was left with a burning desire to just fuckin' rhyme. That's Veins." Homeboy Sandman is back with with his 7th album, and as always, the talented MC is all about the bars. It's funny to even point this out, as being an MC has traditionally been and should be about bars, but considering the current state of the rap game, the sharp, melodic, and fluid way in which the Queens MC puts together words is very refreshing and needed. The beats, courtesy of Kev Brown, 88-Keys, Mainframe, Alexander Spit, and others, stay within the jazzy boom bap frame, and they leave enough room for Sandman's message to really penetrate through the headphones (yes, definitely listen through headphone). The Queens rapper has really pushed the envelope "as far as what exactly constitutes a rap record," like on his eclectic 6th album Kindness, but it's good to hear him getting back to the foundation. Highlights include: "Lemon Ginger Tea," "Clarity," "Bamboo," and "Underground Dreams."

• music label: Stones Throw 2017

reviewed by heloim 05/2017