Connected

"While the proliferation of digital music has changed the world in myriad ways, one of the most groundbreaking is the ability for musicians to collaborate with other artists halfway around the world. Such is the case with the Foreign Exchange — Dutch producer Nicolay and North Carolina MC/singer Phonté (of Little Brother) — who first met on a messageboard, dug each other's music, and put together Connected entirely via the Internet, sending tracks back and forth until it was just right, and in the process creating a stellar album loved by both the fans and the critics. Nic's production is outstanding, lushly arranged layers of smooth melodies, dreamy keys, and low-key beats, while the lyricism, from Phonté and assorted affiliates (Big Pooh, Median, Jahzarah, Joe Scudda, etc) is decidedly authentic, with many real-life stories of success and failure, new loves found and lost. This is one that you can truly play from start to finish, though key tracks include ""Nic's Groove,"" ""Be Alright,"" and ""Happiness.""