The album, Kweli tweeted, is called Gutter Rainbows. If you’re not as book smart as we are, the title’s a reference from Catcher In The Rye. The non-Mos Def half of Black Star also announced a few names involved in production, including Ski Beatz, Hi-Tek, and S1.

No word on a release date, but Kweli did hint that it’d be “available sooner than you think.”

As always, stay tuned for more news as it’s announced, ya phonies.

Beyond the overarching album concept, the point of the album is that you take Kweli and his counter-mainstream flows and put them together with the intricacy of Hi-Tek’s behind-the-board skills. The problem is that it doesn’t always match up so well. It’s not that the production work is bad; it’s solid, with small variances throughout while maintaining a level of consistency, and with the right amount of catchiness. But the production value seems to be so minimal, specifically in the first few tracks, that things don’t connect like they should. “Midnight Hour”, even with the sexy satin tinge of Estelle, sounds like any ’60s-sampling hip-hop track from circa 2004. “Just Begun” has a beat that is like bad smooth jazz on a loop and that burns and eats its way into your brain. Want to know what Mos Def was saying by the final verse? Me too. But Hi-Tek isn’t simply to blame. Kweli is a veteran of the game, and with that said, the lack of variances in his flow can be a hindrance. In the most basic sense, Hi-Tek seems to be a big fan of heavy rhythms on loop. “In The Red” and “So Good” work well because there’s more playfulness in Kweli’s delivery, more shifts in tone and the way in which he delivers the lines, in order to brilliantly counter his partner’s often monotonous style.

But the tracks that work the best are the ones that find that happy middle ground between interesting production and showing off the flow of Kweli. “Strangers (Paranoid)” and “Got Work” are worthy of some marathon head-nodding in that they tow the ever-important line between being something of straight sonic flash and something with substance that deserves to shine. Even then some of the album’s better selections stem not from the dynamic between Kweli and Hi-Tek, but rather from their guests. “Midnight Hour” fails because there’s nothing interesting from utilizing Estelle; “Get Loose”, which features Chester French, is, if nothing else, interesting. Estelle was in her comfort zone of sorts, while bringing in this pop-dance version of The Zombies creates a song that is nostalgic in the best kind of way: dirty and rhythmic, like from a seedy club on the wrong side of Pasadena. That and you have Bun B rapping about AIG in the aforementioned “Strangers (Paranoid)” and sometimes you can see the value of having a diverse group of friends.

Because its successes and failures correspond near perfectly with the successes and failures of the album as a whole, we come to the album’s concept at last. While Kweli is notorious for his social awareness and conscientious rhymes, much of the success in the album doesn’t come in the form of crazed rants about technology and the inadequacies of modern man (the end of “Get Loose”). Instead, it’s the light touch, like the balance that’s struck between telling a compelling story of a simple charcater and critiques against the world at large in “My Life (Outro)”, where the whole concept shines the brightest. But in much of the album, the record has found itself simply skipping.

Watch for yourself below, courtsey of The Audio Perv. Revolutions Per Minute, Reflection Eternal’s first studio album in 10 years, is now available for purchase at your favorite music retailer. In support of the release, the duo is on tour all summer.

On the over-the-hill yet sober front, Scott Weiland and Stone Temple Pilots managed to make it through a performance of “Between The Lines”, the first single off the band’s forthcoming, self-titled sixth studio album. Yep, Weiland even kept on his shirt the entire time. Go figure.

And of course, as previously mentioned, perhaps the biggest highlight of the evening came in the form of Mumford & Son’s performance of “The Cave” on the music machine that is Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. J-Fal wins the night? No surprise there.

Watch clips from Reflection Eternal, Damian Marley & Nas, and Stone Temple Pilots’ respective performances below. Mumford & Sons here.

Reflection Eternal w/ Estelle – “Midnight Hour”

Damian Marley & Nas – “As We Enter”

Stone Temple Pilots – “Between the Lines”

Hat tip to The Audio Perv for video support…

Unsurprisingly, “Ballad of the Black Gold” is a political track about the negative influence of oil drilling. It’s got an interesting beat, a mix of hip-hop and a traditional march featuring snares galore. Kweli sings the chorus, but the melody that really sticks is the background loop featuring distorted sampled female “na na na” vocals. Don’t take my word for it, however, hear for yourself below.

Speaking of the duo’s forthcoming album, like most hip-hop efforts these days, the followup to 2000′s Train of Thought is not only a long time coming, but has already experienced its fair share of delays. Revolutions Per Minute, which originally due out before the end of 2008, is now scheduled for next February. So far, two singles from the effort, “Back Again” and the Mos Def-aided “Just Begun” have proceeded the release.

1. Nas/Damian Marley

Nas has been second on this festival’s bill the last two years. Bringing back a repeat as a headliner is a bit of an underwhelming move, but the collaboration with Damian Marley helps spruce things up a bit. The duo will be performing songs from their upcoming album, Distant Relatives. It’s unclear whether each will perform solo material, but it seems a fairly safe bet. Nas can hold down a stage with the best of them and with Marley in the mix it should be an entertaining set.

2. The Roots

Sure, you’ve seen the Roots 57 times now. We all have. That doesn’t change the fact that they’re still the best live hip hop act going. And now that we are past that pesky nonsense about them not touring anymore (which apparently just meant they will no longer be playing 600 shows a year) we can just sit back and admire ?uestlove’s awesomeness. For the two or three people reading this who have never seen the Roots before, you can probably expect a metric ton of covers (please let one of them be “I’m on a Boat”), an extended jam on “You Got Me”, “The Seed”, and hopefully a Sousaphone solo.

3. Big Boi

It may be time to embrace the reality that we probably aren’t going to see OutKast perform live again. If this is the case, seeing Big Boi perform a bunch of OutKast songs at Rock the Bells may be the next best thing.  He will most likely preview material from his upcoming Sir Luscious Left Foot, an album that has been delayed so many times it may as well be, well, an OutKast album. Regardless, you can expect a sizable helping of the hits, at least enough to make it my most anticipated act of the day.

4. Reflection Eternal

If you’ve been to Rock the Bells before, there is a good chance you saw Talib Kweli. He continues to be a just sort of average performer; entertaining if you’ve never seen him, predictable if you have, with one song that is sure to bring the roof down either way. But with Hi-Tek coming along, this set should be worthwhile for anyone. At best, Kweli and Hi-Tek will delve into deeper material and feature upcoming collaborative work.  At worst, you’ll still hear Kweli perform “Get By”.

5. RZA, GZA and/or Raekwon

It just wouldn’t be Rock the Bells without a sprinkling of Wu-Tang. The collective headlined the 2007 tour, bringing all living members (!) and a sort of unnecessary live band. Last year Method Man tore the roof off the joint. This year, most shows will have at least one member of the Clan (with the notable exception of the show I happen to be attending). GZA will serve up a heap of Liquid Swords cuts. Raekwon will (hopefully) preview material from his (maybe) upcoming Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2. And RZA will do whatever the hell it is RZA does at a live performance. No matter who is at your show you can expect to hear more verses of “Triumph” than you probably should.

6. KRS-One

He may be performing in your city. He may only be hosting. Why on earth he would be in the venue and not be given a set is anyone’s guess, but I’ve stopped trying to figure these things out when it comes to Rock the Bells. Regardless, KRS-One is a true legend of the genre and a performance would be a treat.

7. K’Naan

The up-and-coming Somali rapper is worth catching, if only because he stands out on a lineup packed with backpackers.  K’Naan should be performing with a live band, which is great because his music actually lends itself to live instrumentation, unlike many of the other acts who inexplicably chose to go with a live band at this festival (coughWUTANGcough.)

8. Slaughterhouse

This rap super-group – made up of Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, Crooked I and Royce Da 5’9″ – may be the best collective of M.C.’s since the Wu-Tang Clan. Slaughterhouse first united on Joe Budden’s appropriately titled “Slaughter House” last year. That song is a seven-minute, hookless, lyrical gangbang that will leave your head spinning. Subsequent leaked tracks have repeated the formula. Rock the Bells will give them a chance to preview material from their upcoming debut LP.

9. It’s Rock the Bells

The lineup pales in comparison to last year’s, the venues are too big, and you can bet the show will be plagued by delays and shortened sets. But it’s still Rock the Bells. As of right now, it is the undisputed, top hip hop festival in the world and until somebody decides to put up an effort to dethrone it, it’s the best festival hip hop fans have. In addition to the eight acts listed, attendees will be able to catch sets by Busta Rhymes, Common, and a host of others who should put on enjoyable greatest hits sets. In L.A. you’ll see Ice Cube. In Calgary (Calgary?), you’ll see Cypress Hill. In Toronto you’ll see EPMD. I don’t have an answer to why these acts aren’t playing more shows, but regardless of where you attend, you are going to get an extremely full day of pretty damn good hip hop that should at least warrant a lawn ticket.

Rock the Bells 2009 Tour Dates:
06/27 – Tinley Park, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
06/28 – Clarkson, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
07/05 – Toronto, ON @ Molson Amphitheatre
07/12 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
07/18 – Mansfield, MA @ Comcast Center
07/19 – Wantagh, NY @ Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
08/01 – Burnaby, BC @ Deer Lake Park
08/06 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
08/08 – Devore, CA @ San Manuel Amphitheatre
08/09 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre