HinweiseStones Throw has been good to us this spring, pumping out highly anticipated albums back to back to its hungry public. Madlib's latest Quasimoto concoction gave a small taste of what to expect from the debut of fellow Californian emcee Medaphoar, lately known simply as MED. The following release of Push Comes To Shove is the culmination of a couple years worth of guest spots and 12-inch singles, this time around backed by labelmates Madlib and Oh No plus a few proven hit makers from outside the Stones Throw circle.

Madlib influences the album palpably, handling more than half the production duties with his intricately stylized instrumentals. His contributions ooze a sort of meticulousness, like the flighty piano weaved carefully through a flat, jazzy rhythm on "Can't Hold On" and the thick yet breezy groove on "Special." The steadier bass pattern of "Pressure" dip closer to commercialized fare, but an appearance from hip hop heavyweight Diamond D should quickly silence criticism. Just Blaze adds a more genuinely mainstream clap on "Get Back," one of the few club-worthy jams on the disc.

While production is consistently above average, MED's flow often sounds labored. Still, his lyricism makes the difference, spitting smart no-nonsense commentaries like the J. Dilla produced "So Real" - "Cowards is testing my cool by the hour/ gets worse, turf wars, scars with grudges." Even on the occasional verbal misstep, the top-notch mix of production rolls on to preserve the engaging resonance.

8/10
[music.ign.com]