West Coast Performer magazine's April 2007 edition-Reviews Section

Odd Man Out - An Outsider's Perspective
Produced and arranged by Daniel Lippincott at Petri Disk Studios

MC Dan D. Lion is a character actor in terms of his ability to carry An Outsider's Perspective. On the album, Lion intersperses his silky verses with corny twists of tongue and nods to the golden age of hip-hop before posing the trademark underground question about what is going on in mainstream hip-hop.
But only so much can be said, and Lion spends more time than necessary calling out what every true underground hip-hop fan already knows. There is a precise and refreshing determination to producer/DJ Drunken Monkey's spread, though. Daniel Lippincott's deep soul and acid jazz atmospheres on "No Limits" give Lion just what he needs to make it the album's signature song. Lippincott's style echoes that of Japan's DJ Krush and his early and earthy work, fused with DJ Premier's soul-heavy, radio-friendly blend of hip-hop. This is a level of production that belongs on Stones Throw with Madlib and friends.
Expert sampling of The 5 O'Clock Belles' "When Nothing Began," coupled with Lion's storyteller's delivery on "Much Too Much," is on scale with Ghostface Killah's recent work. The ears start to yearn for something different on "Being Time" though, as the steady groove and subtle guitar picking grow tiresome. The most jarring track is "Dan D. Lion," which is so peppy and saccharine it could be the theme song for a hip educational kid's television show.
The group says it declined to invite guest MCs because the album was such a personal one. Granted, it does sound like a product of true love and a dedication to hip-hop. There is a potential here that goes beyond its DIY sheen. The haunting reverb on "Invisible Ones" points to a new path, something different, perhaps more than underground and above the mainstream. (Splintered Tree Records)

www.splinteredtree.com

-Mark Szakonyi