"Who is Hoopla?" was the question that hit me when I picked up this album. After a search on the net, I'm still not sure. It seems they toured with Hootie & The Blowfish, and possibly Tribe Called Quest. Fortunately, reputation means little to me.

Hoopla is a soulful, thought-ridden, hip hop/R&B/pop/folk artist whose music is uplifting and positive. Hoopla's style reminds me of that of Maxwell, the legend-in-the-making R&B singer who has taken the underground by storm. The group has a great ability to mix funky beats and impressive scratches with fairly deep lyrics, as well as occasionally catchy choruses.

"Slave Of It All" is one of the best songs. It has a catchy chorus and retroish hook. It lacks a bit in lyrical content, but will still draw you in. "Yeah Yeah" is based on a great story line of pain and troubles. The beat is fine tuned for earphone listening and extremely impressive. The first single, "The Hey Song" takes its catchy chorus from a 4 Non Blondes track, adds a simple beat, lyrics and results in an impressive tune. Other impressive tracks are: "If Live Is a River" and "The Mountain Of Lonely".

Hoopla isn't bound for mainstream success, but I really liked this group's style. The positivity flowed from beginning to end, and many of the songs had good story-lines behind them. If you like uplifting music with impressive beats, then you'll probably enjoy this album.

www.brockwayent.com

(Originally posted on HipHopCanada.com)

This review was written August 29, 1999