SuppliedAction Bronson
Mr. Wonderful
Atlantic Records, Vice records
https://actionbronson.com/
Action Bronson has a pretty sweet existence, and his debut album Mr. Wonderful makes sure you know. By the time the curtains close on “Easy Rider,” you’re left with a crystal clear image of Bronson’s 5’9”, 320lb frame cruising off into the sunset, customized cape in hand, cackling maniacally at what he’s made.
A clinic in braggadocio idiom-stringing, Action Bronson shows and proves with an all-star production team. Mark Ronson, Alchemist, and Party Supplies join a long list of collaborators that complement Bronson at every turn. Showing off his penchant for ‘80s pop and psychedelia, samples range from Billy Joel to gospel and back again. In the current climate of chopped and screwed trap beats with lyrics drawled or screamed over them, Action’s mix of ganja-hazed crooning and verses that seem to drip like bone marrow off rosemary toast (one of his favourites) are a welcome reprieve. No, he doesn’t sound like Ghostface or Kool G Rap — he’s more than that. The sounds of his beloved neighbourhood, Flushing, are taken to the world, crafted into simultaneously nostalgic and original beats, and layered with rhymes so ridiculous they could only come from Queens.
Many in the game can’t pull off the level of pure awesomeness Bronson imbues into every track. At the same time, the incessant self-love never seems out of place, or even unpleasant. You can genuinely imagine him “speaking six languages in three different voices,” as ridiculous as it might sound. The level of genuineness achieved by such fictional-sounding lyrics boggles the mind, and perfectly complements the lush production.
Bronson has now settled comfortably into the knowledge that he has created his own niche. Mr. Wonderful serves as a coming out party, after years in the mix-tape game, he is here to stay. The Blue Chips cycle may have introduced him to the world, but Mr. Wonderful blasts Bronson into the stratosphere. At the same time, he genuinely doesn’t give a flying fuck what you think, and on Mr. Wonderful he makes sure you know it.
