This duo's association goes back to 2007, when neither artist could refer to himself as Grammy-nominated.
Phonte, then "Phonte of Little Brother," added a verse to
Roberson's "Been in Love..."
Phontigallo and
Erro reunified a few times after that, heard on tracks like
Phonte's "Who Loves You More,"
Roberson's "Picture Perfect," and
Zo!'s "We Are on the Move." Almost a decade after their first collaboration, the two completed
Tigallerro, an album they began plotting in 2013 but were unable to finish -- due to work and life conflicts -- until 2016. Outfitted with references to
Run-D.M.C.'s
King of Rock and Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite, it's an album that should be filed in the genre of the latter, though
Phonte, at
Roberson's behest, raps a few verses.
Roberson also rhymes a couple times and does so without overextending himself, offhandedly boasting in the opening "It's So Easy" about fatherhood and creative independence, two states that also apply to his partner, a fellow major-label survivor. Seemingly created without fuss,
Tigallerro is made of relaxed yet moving grooves, supplied by a cast of over of a dozen, that often evoke sunny and carefree Saturday afternoons. The two occasionally play around with some commercial trends, but they remain themselves, as grown men who descriptively sing about everyday romantic highs and lows, whether they're recalling contentment or regretting transgressions. Some of the cuts flow with such ease that the depth is easy to miss. On the surface, "Never the Same Smile" unfolds blissfully as
Phonte and
Shana Tucker trade lines, but then the wistful quality of its Foreign Exchange production cuts through as the song's heart, unrecoverable perfection, becomes apparent. On the closing "Something," over a Daniel Crawford production that is somehow fluid and chunky at once,
Phonte and
Roberson modestly attest their faith in serenely uplifted fashion.
Tigallerro is also a testament to
Phonte's growth as a songwriter, arranger, and singer.
Roberson is the one with the deeper R&B background, he has no trouble acknowledging the development. He merely accents the Sheldon Williams collaboration "3:45," an early-morning slow jam -- one with a slight lilt recalling
Zapp's "Be Alright" -- that contains an exceptionally sweet and open-hearted
Phonte lead. Who in the aughts could have imagined WJLR putting such a thing on rotation? ~ Andy Kellman