Cincinnati's Brandon Isaac and LA producer Free Mind have released their debut collaborative album, The North Star. I was put on to the project through ScratchedVinyl, which reviewed the LP stating, "The North Star is full of contemplative, midtempo soul-sampling beats that subtly set the mood for Isaac to hop on the mic and just work through all of his thoughts and emotions. This album is for serious listeners who are willing to really spend time with an album and absorb the words and the moods of these deeply personal tales that Isaac is weaving. He’s opening up and going deep about everything from systemic racism and how that’s shaped his upbringing to some specific narratives about people in his life and the relationships he’s forged along the way to get him where he is today. It’s the type of album that you really need to listen to one-on-one, where you can really just sit with the material and let it bounce around your head for a while as you process and unpack all of the feelings this music might bring up. The North Star isn’t your typical debut album, but in working with Free Mind, Brandon Isaac was able to craft an album that will insure that anyone who gets into his music from this point will not just be a casual well-wisher. They will be a hardcore hip hop fan who appreciates the raw emotional honesty of his lyricism." Dig!