I'm not supposed to complain about record labels' poor judgment in my reviews; generally speaking, it doesn't affect my ability to enjoy those albums. You know what does affect my ability to enjoy an album? When, every thirty seconds, a hazy, oppressive Voice From Above reminds me who I'm listening to, the name of the album, the record label bringing me the album, and when I can buy it in stores. It really fucks up the experience, whether it's intended as an anti-piracy move or Fat Beats honestly believes that I'll forget who I'm listening to every thirty seconds.

Of course, on the retail version of S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M., you'll be able to hear One.Be.Lo's tight-but-personable rhymes just fine. He generally sticks to the high end of mediocrity, rhyming about the usual topics -- how a lot of people are far more morally reprehensible than he is, much less skilled than he is, far less cool than he is, and so forth. Then there's the relationship-related whining -- including a disconcerting moment when an ex shows up with a black eye, nearly in tears, and One.Be.Lo considers this vindication rather than cause for alarm -- and an obligatory rap about why it sucks to live in the ghetto. It all sounds pretty dire on paper, but a handful of transcendent moments make S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. more than the sum of its parts.

The production is a little questionable, with lounge-style beats and samples consistently placed as far forward in the mix as One.Be.Lo's voice itself. The effect is a tinge of chaos. The music initially sounds as if it was slapped together haphazardly, even though a lot of effort went into it. There are times when this technique pays off, though -- for example, the slight discord and subdued menace in "Evil of Self"'s instrumentation, combined with One.Be.Lo and guest Abdus Salaam's frantic rhymes, makes for a beautiful team. On the other hand, the painfully incoherent follow-up "The Future" displays the opposite end of One.Be.Lo's spectrum.

Overall, S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. is a bit monotonous, but its numerous smaller strengths make it an enjoyable experience.