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While Denver may have a prominent Indie music scene, the underground hip-hop audiences here often go untreated.

Meet underground rapper MURS, who has been around since 1997 and has made 12 albums to date.

His latest release, MURS for President, has some pretty great tracks, but the album is not without problems.

Following the obligatory introductory track, MURS peruses various lyrical themes, including songs with a legitimate message or a compelling beat.

Some even portray a message about the vagaries of love.

For example, the song titled “I’m Innocent,” reminds listeners that underground does not get radio play for a reason.

The song “Science” informs the audience that when groups are discriminated against, creativity is born out of those oppressed.

His love songs on the album specifically “Me And This Jawn,” describes a somewhat accurate mindset for those smitten by love and “A Part of Me,” is an uncomfortable (though working), tense, and emotional reminder of what it is to have loved and lost.

Snoop Dogg and will.i.am. both make appearances on this album but MURS seems to fare better when he is by himself on a track.

While the track featuring will.i.am has a good sound, it does seem a bit like the song is geared towards the club-going audience.

It seems to be a different target audience than MURS is accustomed to.

Surprisingly, Snoop and will.i.am only make minor appearances, strengthening the argument that MURS is more confident with being able to carry himself as a rapper.

Aside from that, most of the other songs run a smooth transition when changing topics.

None of the songs seem to run longer than they should have been, and the professionalism is apparent in the production quality of the music.

Listeners may recognize many of the instrumentals, as many of the songs are or feature bits and pieces from other artists such as James Blunt and Michael Jackson.

Some of the track ordering seems arbitrary, offering up a mix-up in themes, lyrics, and instrumentals.

Toward the album’s end there is a cluster of love-songs, one after the other.

This is an unexpected switch that may puzzle listeners.

Aside from these problems, MURS has produced another successful underground album.

If you are looking for a new album to add to your play list, consider MURS for President.

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