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It’s not easy to put Idle Warship in a musical box, but we’ll give it a try. Put a little hip-hop, R&B, soul, electric pop and rock in some kind of magical blender and poof – Idle Warship.

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Idle Warship, the collaborative group featuring Brooklyn rapper Talib Kweli and the soulful Philadelphia-bred singer Res, dropped their debut album, Habits of Mind, yesterday. 

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To celebrate, the duo held an album listening party at the snazzy Beauty & Essex lounge in Lower Manhattan. During the night, Talib rocked the turntables letting some classics play, while also letting his new album rock.

Of course, GlobalGrind was in the house, and we got a chance to listen to the album. We can say that it’s definitely hot!

Highlights of the album include the punchy, Latin-inspired opener, “Enemy,” the doo-wop sounding “Laser Beam,” “The Floor” (which is pure pop) and the socially conscious “Covered In Fantasy,” which features the always unconventional Chester French and a rejuvenated sounding John Forte getting serious.

Even though the roles of rapper and singer are clearly defined throughout most of the album, Talib finds some time to do a little crooning himself, singing on the piano driven “Beautifully Bad.”

All in all, Habits of Mind is an original debut from the duo and a worthy addition to both artists’ catalogue.

Check it out for yourself!

And for more Idle Warship, make sure you peruse their Facebook page!