Wildcard returns with his seventh studio LP Western Promises, which marks his fourth release in just as many years. The 16-track body of work is a testament to the artist’s creativity and need to push himself as an artist, embrace inspiration, and explore his past. The title is a throwback to a lyric he thought of back in 2007 when he saw the film Eastern Promises, and it’s been lingering in his head ever since. “It morphed into a full project and a homage to the two places I’ve called home over the years—San Gabriel Valley, Calif., and Spokane, Wash.,” he explains. As a result, Western Promises is brimming with callbacks to Wildcard’s life, both in the past and present.
“Western Promises” opens up the project with menacing dark synths and electrifying guitar riffs over thumping drums. Wildcard sounds at home here and delivers a statement of some sort and gives listeners a glimpse into his life as a whole. Lines like “The post-traumatic stress that buries my mind, that’s why I’m strapped/ it’s like multiplication how I just carry this nine/And if you’re in the dope game with various crimes, you’re set to get busted like how a woman’s cherry is designed”. “The Chaser” is the perfect follow up and it’s a pure bravado-laden track that is made up of cinematic rock guitars and thick drum grooves all underpinned by Wildcard’s graphic lyrical display ripe with diseased-filled darts towards cultures and perpetrators alike. The fun continues on the dark and ominous track “The Rim” and Wildcard reminds us of how he got that name. His bars are razor sharp with wit, dark humour and engaging wordplay like “They ain’t fucking with my line like a recovering coke head/On my new shit and I’m coming back in black even my enemies are like – he can rap, I give him that”. On the reflective “Pink Diamonds”, Wildcard gets introspective and runs through his journey as a rapper and the various events that shaped his life for better or worse. Far from being rueful, he is glad for the experience and the friendships he made since his debut.
He teams up with A-Wax on the moody and solemn “Cali Driver” which sounds like the theme to a grindhouse movie. On the lyrical department, Wildcard is in his element and delivers a plethora of unfiltered bars ranging from dropping a house on the wicked Witch to girls who won’t give it up because they are saving it for Jesus. It’s purely a no holds barred affair for Wildcard. “Nightmares” starts off with a creepy melodic vocal sample that says “Everybody dies in their nightmares, do not think it’s time when it’s your turn” and switches to a thumping Silent night-type beat with heavy drums with Wildcard digging deep into his tumultuous past. “Saint Chris” employs Justin Cohen for his vocal talents and he peppers the track with a soul-gripping performance while Wildcard pays homage to the few people who laid the foundation and showed him love in this dog-eat-dog industry. “Party for the Dead” is another solid verbal display from Wildcard who keeps gifting us with some wild and outlandish bars such as “Get off your bourgeois high horse like how Superman fell in” and “I fell down, was losing my dwelling/but I came right back up just like the coochie was smelling”.
Tracks like “The Era” lives up to its name as he laces the thumping soundscape with dope wordplay and storytelling. “Place the Blame” is made up of a solemn piano riff and heavy electric guitars that Wildcard uses as the perfect backdrop to show us the relationship with his father and grandfather. He expertly breaks down the 3 generational gaps and the relatable dynamics between son, father and grandfather in his own distinct way. BARZ! and Lateb comes through to assist Wildcard on the lyric-dense “Operator” and Savvy Rae adds some smooth melodic runs on the reflective “Bewitched “ that dwells on an infatuated lover with scary and haunting tendencies. “Circles” is as dark and moody as they come and sees Wildcard being vulnerable and acknowledging his own failings and errors as a young man.
The project closes out with three solid tracks that include “ Pick Your Battles”, another solid lyrical display, the Krayzie Bone-assisted country-infused track “Glass Moon Deluxe” and the melancholic “Death Card” which features Justin Cohen. Wildcard sure knows the assignment and each track hits like a Mack truck and his knack for penning equally entertaining and emotional tracks is a talent that must be recognized. At some point he reflects on life, love and betrayal and at other points, he makes a point with lines like “Life’s about choices just like a pretty woman who gets offered lots of dick and she doesn’t know which bone to pick”.
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