First a member of Bran Van 3000, rapper Stephen "Liquid" Hawley went solo by 2001, under the alias Liquid Ltd. Signed to the Aquarius label in Canada, Liquid issued his debut, Better Days, the same year. A varied album that ran the gamut from rap to rock to reggae (producer Haig Vartzbedian hands in an abounding production à la Beck), Better Days has been compared to Everlast's solo work, and features cameos by former Bran Van 3000 bandmates James DiSalvio and Stephane Maraille, as well as rapper Poetic from the Gravediggaz. ~ Greg Prato