Merce Gold – “Gold Standard” – consistently deliver good music, captivating atmospheres, and ponderable rhymes!

Merce Gold is a hip-hop artist from North Carolina. He is an artist/CEO of Family Over Entertainment, an entertainment company started by Merce and his brother Louis.  “Gold Standard”, released on 2/2/20, is Merce Gold’s 3rd project, his previous “1993” was released Feb 18th, 2019 and is also available on all streaming platforms. The key element that makes this latest album’s atmosphere really enjoyable for me is the overall lushness of it. The beats especially are as gritty and smoothly layered, and as colorful as the narratives.

Another reason that the album is a really enjoyable piece, is that it involves the talents of Merce Gold – an artist that should go down as one of the more interesting acts in the modern Hip-hop scene. It’s brilliant to have a true introduction to the versatility and top-notch quality of this artist on “Gold Standard”.

Any excuse to hear Merce Gold rapping right now is good. Right from the opening track, “Lemonade Mimosas 2”, he draws you into his mood. Merce hits the ground running with a flow that is both smooth and intense, and as such, easy on the ears while the words hit hard.

That much is quickly proven on “It’s All Good (Now You Know)”, where the rapper clearly lays out his confident state of being. Moving forward, these tracks are not just awesome, but the album also has vintage cadences and production flourishes that recalls rap from a better time. From “Problematic” to “Art of War” and “Blue Notes”, the music and the vocals are simply sublime.

Shimmering keys, deep warm basslines and clean snare drums, drive the backdrop, as Merce Gold’s rhymes run like a cascade of cool refreshing water. The brief, “Genovese” keeps the atmosphere rich and smooth with a resonant sax blowing its call, while the drums bang with a vengeance.

All of the instrumentals on this album, perfectly complement Merce’s striking performances, and so it is with the bass-driven “Vibrations” or the organic sounding “Honor Roll” ft. SL. Merce Gold’s vocals are front and center on the mix; he uses his unmistakable voice and commanding verses to draw in the listener and is ably assisted by SL. Merce’s passion for the art form shines through his delivery.

Lyrically, Merce Gold continues to paint vivid depictions of the world that surrounds him. On “Truth Be Told” he gets personal and vulnerable, before switching to the confident “PSA” and the outspoken “The Family”.

This is a masterclass of hip-hop – few artists in today’s landscape have the talent and versatility to consistently deliver good music, captivating atmospheres, and ponderable rhymes across an entire project, such as Merce Gold has achieved here.

From start to finish, Merce Gold delivers his all on this project. From his hard-hitting delivery and extended verses to the creative and smooth production, the project has so many things to offer on many different levels.

While the songs will grab your ear almost instantly, it will most likely take a few listens to have a total feel for the project. With that said, Merce Gold is pushing his creative and performance boundaries on “Gold Standard”, and it demands attention.

OFFICIAL LINKS: MUSIC STREAMS – SOCIALS @MerceGold20 AND @FamilyOverEntertainment