Deuce’s Wild

It was last May when I first discovered Clint Dempsey’s musical talents in the form of his Nike-sponsored “Don’t Tread.” The hip hop anthem, which also featured late Houston rapper Big Hawk became the official anthem of the US Men’s National Team in their (failed) quest for the World Cup last summer. While he isn’t the lyrical gymnast that NaS, Jay-Z or The Game is, many felt that Deuce’s emcee skills (his rap handle) warranted a follow up to give listeners a better feel for his lyrical prowess. Upon a recent visit to his website, I discovered two new tracks – “Wind and Grind” & “Without Me” – which have been hyperlinked for one to bob their head to.

The lyrical content of “Wind and Grind“ is quite the departure from his rap debut. Instead of soccer, respect, and practice that “Don’t Tread” extols, “Wind” is a mix of the more prevalent playboy/straight-mackin’ themes present in hip hop. The bass-influenced beat is the first indication that this is clearly no reprisal of “Don’t Tread”, but rather a darker, more sinister offering. This isn’t to say that Deuce can’t pull it off – it’s just when one drops the squeaky clean “Don’t Tread” as his debut, any track thereafter containing a few naughty words has a tendency to catch one off guard. And make no mistake: the “Grind” he references in the title has nothing to do with work. The collaboration with XO helps Deuce’s cause tremendously on this track, as XO’s flow seems to compliment Deuce’s laid back Southern drawl. His delivery is much like his demeanor on the pitch: freewheeling and loose. Beat: B+. Delivery: B.

In the “Without Me” cut, Deuce once again mashes with XO, but this time around, the Nacogdoches kid seems a little at sea. He spits rather over a familiar Jim Jones “We Fly High” beat, the delivery sounds canned, almost as if our favorite son is reading the lyrics straight from his notebook. On this track, despite, he seems uncomfortable, as if he was simply showing up to the studio for a hastily compiled mix tape. After listening to “Wind”, this track falls flatter on its face than Cristiano Ronaldo in the box. The awkward first lines (I’m uptown in my downtown/Hit the fool of these clowns/Swim, here ya go drown) only hasten the deterioration of this track. XO does his best to plug the holes, and just barely pulls it off with his much cooler-crafted lyrics. You really have to listen to this track one more than once to come to the following conclusion: he can do better than this. Beat: A (because it’s a Jim Jones production). Delivery: C-.

All in all, these two new tracks will whet the appetite of any Deuce fan whose parents allow them to purchase CDs with parental warnings. But don’t get it twisted, Deuce ain’t the hardcore f-bomb dropper that The Game is, nor are his rhymes nearly as gritty. He doesn’t fake the funk by rapping about guns, gangstas or grams. His lyrical content is more mack daddy than Mack 10, and is appreciably uncontrived or hokey. His laid-back delivery is reflective of the Houston “screwed” (beats slowed down to match the southern drawl) scene, where Paul Wall, EKG and Trae have all plied their craft. Although still an upstart, there are moments in his brief emceeing career where he does shine. Although he’ll never push a million records, the full-time footballer/part-time rapper can certainly stand to gain added credibility with each offering.

Practice Notes 2/28

There would have been more to this entry had my voice recorder not pulled a Bobby Brown. Technology- God bless it!

Anyway, here are a few observations made by yours truly sitting on a cold metal bench at the Dana Farber Fieldhouse during Revs practice this morning.

*Good Knighton: Brad Knighton appears to have impressed enough coaches to warrant a flight back to Foxboro with the rest of the team. Knighton was seen taking goalkeeping drills with Matt Reis, Doug Warren, and goalkeeper coach Gwyn Williams. Supplemental pick Phil Marfuggi was not tendered a contract with the club, and is no longer with the team.

*Nice to know you, Goodbye: Bermuda trialists Takashi Hirano, Jorge Ramirez, and Takuya Yamada were not at practice, and did not fly back with the team. No word on whether any of them will be back.

*Burn, baby, Byrne: SuperDraftee Bryan Byrne practiced with the squad today. Byrne, sporting the number 26, saw a great deal of action during training, and appeared to have quite a nose for the ball.

*Impressive Rookies: Wells Thompson appears to be having an outstanding camp thus far. The Revs first round pick, who, like Byrne, consistently finds himself near the ball, is only adding to Steve Nicol’s reputation as a manager with a discerning eye for unheralded talent. Also doing little to tarnish this is Adam Cristman, fresh off his impressive U-23 tour which saw him score three goals in three matches. Don’t be surprised if either of these players finds themselves in starting roles this summer.

*Obligatory Non-Item: The temperature inside the fieldhouse, to be kind, wasn’t exactly “temperate.” In fact, one player remarked after training, “Let’s go outside -where it’s warm!”

Cristman Scores Twice – U-23s 2, Rosso Kumamoto 2

If Revs draft pick Adam Cristman keeps up the goal-scoring pace he’s setting while on board with the US MNT U-23s, he could very well have an entire album of celebratory chants devoted to him at The Fort this season.

Cristman powered home both of his squad’s goals in their 2-2 draw to Rosso Kumamoto (Japanese Football League) Friday night (Tokyo time). Cristman has found the back of the net three times in three games with the U-23s, first scoring in an exhibition vs. Chivas USA last week. The imposing forward from Virginia will be returning to the Revs this weekend after the U-23s return from their journey to Japan.

Curiously, Cristman is not listed on the Revs roster.