For fans of radio, Anthony Valadez may actually register as he's the host of a popular radio program on SoCal's KCRW, as well as a burgeoning musician in his own right. For the rest of us I have some advice, to not sleep on Valadez's second full-length In Search Of... which came out in March on the Plug Research label. In Search Of... is the introspective follow up to Valadez’ 2012 debut, Just Visiting. As ambiguous and hazy as the title suggests, the album is a tapestry of sounds only a DJ could or would curate the same way. And when that DJ is also an incredibly well-connected and talented artist with savvy, broad palette of tastes, you get an album like this.
Valadez has a lot of help and the synergies work well on the album; like Miles Bonny’s sweet, serene vocals on “Searching For” reflect the overall sense of introspection, but he’s not alone. Zack Sekoff’s verse on “Zack’s Thesis” combines self-discovery with cold mic skills. Rep Life/Spinnerty’s captivating spoken diatribe for “Breathe” is captivatingly reminiscent of The Watts Prophets. Musically the album is a direct evolution of Just Visiting and reflects a bright future for Anthony Valadez. My favorite cut on the album is "Good Looking," baby-making music at its best...
