Pigeon John – Encino Man

By Topher Parks

John Dust, better known by his stage name Pigeon John, is an artist who has gradually worked his way to prominence in the hip hop circles. From the early days of LA Symphony in the late 90s to his first solo albums, there’s always been something special about this largely-underground rapper. 2010 saw Dust break away from the Christian rap scene, where he had been an active member up until his last full-length, Dragon Slayer. Three and a half years later, Pigeon John has just released arguably his best effort yet, Encino Man.

The opening track, “Champagne on My Shoes,” is the lead single from Encino Man, and with good reason. It’s a fun party rocker with an almost too-happy beat. The phone call excerpts during the bridge add an extra effect to the song, before things are finished off. It would have been nice to hear the chorus one more time at the end, but “Champagne on My Shoes” flows nicely without one. “All The Roads” is lyrically introspective, and seems to be Pigeon John reflecting back on some of his past. The head-bobbing beat has a level of catchiness, but that seems unintentional, especially with the message being conveyed in the song. Overall, “All the Roads” is a great tune. “Oh Yeah” comes next. The guitars on the cut give it a vintage-rock feel, a la The Black Keys. Lyrically it’s just a fun song with not much substance at all, but the edge in the song more than makes up for this.

“It’s On Tonight” features Sareem Poems, an underrated rapper and fellow ex-LA Symphony member who goes off on the track. During the chorus the beat has a neat little Egyptian flair to it. The only downside with “It’s On Tonight” is that it’s over a bit too soon. “Boomerang” keeps the fun beats coming, this time with a machine-like punch. “I Believe It” follows with a techno vibe and an overall groovy musicality to it. Parts of “I Believe It” are somewhat 70s-like, and Dust alludes to some of his past experiences as a former Christian artist. “Just to Be With You” features another long-time collaborator and fellow ex-LA Symphony member, Flynn Adam. The back-and-forth between the two friends adds to the charm of “Just to Be With You,” an already-solid track. “Ready to Go” is the shortest song on the record, and brings back the vintage rock guitars from “Oh Yeah.”

The noticeable difference with this one is that it sounds more like something Lenny Kravitz could have written. Needless to say, “Ready to Go” is another phenomenal track. The following cut, “Go Shopping,” features one final ex-LA Symphony member, Gr. JsnBeits, and is one of the strongest on the album. “Go Shopping” has a beat that harkens back to video games from the 80s and early 90s, and Gr. JsnBeits kills it on his verse. “What Are We Gonna Do” is a fast rocker filled with nah nah’s and an infectious guitar riff. “Dave the Dope Fiend” follows, and is, not surprisingly, about a disgruntled drug addict. With yet another fun beat, this time around the message is a bit more somber. “Enjoy the Trees” is relatively subdued musically, but it’s still an enjoyable listen.

“They Heard (Sunshine)” is essentially the last song on Encino Man, and features LDonTheCut along with Ariano. The tune has an awesome guitar-driven backbone, and even has a few instances of dubstep sneaking in every now and again. This is great, but what really pushes “They Heard (Sunshine)” over the top is the singing from not only Pigeon John but also his guest. This would be a more than fine way to close out Encino Man, but instead Dust decides to tack on a DJ Atom of C2C remix of “All the Roads” at the very end. It’s a solid remix; it just feels like an unnecessary addition that could have been left for a special edition of the album.

Encino Man is Pigeon John’s most accessible full-length to date, with something for everyone along the hip hop spectrum. That being said, it’s his strongest album yet as well. Dust has always been known for being tongue-in-cheek with his lyrics, but this time around he also adds in all kinds of different sounds, getting his inspiration from many of his influences. Encino Man is an extremely fun record that goes along perfectly with the change in seasons. The remix of “All the Roads” seems to be the only thing holding it back. However, even with the remix included at the end, Encino Man is still likely going to be an album of the year contender when all is said and done.