Train of Thought is the debut album of American hip hop duo Reflection Eternal, released October 17, 2000, on Rawkus Records. Collaborating as a duo, rapper Talib Kweli and DJ and hip hop producer Hi-Tek recorded the album during 1999 to 2000, following their individual musical work that gained notice in New York's underground scene during the late 1990s. Kweli had previously worked with rapper Mos Def as the duo Black Star,Benaquist, Steven. Review: Train of Thought. Yahoo! Music. Retrieved on 2009-12-08. and Hi-Tek had served as producer on the duo's debut album.Conaway, Matt. [ Review: Hi-Teknology]. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-12-08.

Critical reception

Train of Thought was well received by music critics. Chicago Sun-Times writer Kyla Kyles said, "With a flurry of metaphors and below-the-basement underground beats, this train is on the right track. This disc proves that Kweli is a deep-thinking, gifted MC, and Hi Tek is an emerging wax master." AllMusic's Matt Conaway compared Reflection Eternal's music to the work of the Native Tongues collective, while writing that the album "houses enough merit to establish Talib as one of this generation's most poetic MCs". PopMatters writer Dave Heaton described Talib Kweli as "a hyper-articulate MC with a revolutionary's mind and a sensitive poet's heart, but he's also a world-class battle MC, able to rip other MCs' rhymes apart in a quick second". Kathryn Farr of Rolling Stone called Train of Thought "the rare socially aware hip-hop record that can get fists pumping in a rowdy nightclub".

Pitchfork critic Sam Eccleston wrote of Kweli's boastful lyrics, "Kweli uses the rhythm as a foundation, building rambling, baroque rhyme structures on top of them, exhibiting his cock-eyed 'skills'. This kind of braggadocio doesn't weaken the effort in the same way his moralizing self-canonization does, if only because he can often back those claims up". Noah Callahan-Bever of Vibe shared a similar sentiment, writing "Reflection Eternals great weakness is Kweli's excessive preaching about the state of hip hop, but at least he cares". In The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Jon Caramanica called it "thick with fierce street raps ('Down for the Count' and 'Ghetto Afterlife'), maudlin soul ('Love Language'), and the type of insightful versifying Kweli has made his stock-in-trade ('Memories Live' and 'This Means You')".

Track listing

No. TitleSongwritersProducer(s)Performer (s)1"Experience Dedication" Hi-Tek 2"Move Somethin'" Hi-Tek 3"Some Kind of Wonderful" Hi-TekTalib Kweli4"The Blast" Hi-Tek 5"This Means You" Hi-Tek 6"Too Late" Hi-TekIdle Warship7"Memories Live" Hi-Tek 8"Africa Dream" Talib Kweli9"Down for the Count" Hi-Tek 10"Name of the Game" Hi-TekTalib Kweli11"Ghetto Afterlife" Hi-Tek 12"On My Way" Hi-Tek 13"Love Language" Hi-Tek 14"Love Speakeasy" Hi-Tek15"Soul Rebels" Hi-Tek 16"Eternalists" Hi-TekTalib Kweli17"Big Del From da Natti" Hi-TekBig Del18"Touch You" Hi-Tek 19"Good Mourning" Hi-TekTalib Kweli20a"Expansion Outro"20b"Four Women"Nina Simone

Sample credits Sample information for Train of Thought.

Move Something "Shaft's Mama" by Charlie Whitehead This Means You "Cloud in My Sunshine" by Redbone Too Late "Reverie" by Tomita "Passepied" by Tomita Memories Live "I Can't Stand the Rain" by Ann Peebles "Carol Ann" by Soft Machine Ghetto Afterlife "Tomorrow I May Not Feel the Same" by Gene Chandler Love Language "Welcome" by Norman Connors

Love Speakeasy "Welcome" by Norman Connors Soul Rebels "Funky Music" by Patti LaBelle Eternalists "Follow the Leader" by Eric B. & Rakim Big Del from Da Natti "Divided Reality" by Bo Hansson Good Mourning "Dizzy" by Hugo Montenegro "C.R.E.A.M." by Wu-Tang Clan

Personnel

Rick James - Producer Hi-Tek - Producer, Engineer, Executive Producer, Mixing Weldon Irvine - Keyboards, Producer Tracie - Background Vocals Owen Brown - Fiddle De La Soul - Performer Derrick Gardner - Trumpet Troy Hightower - Engineer, Mixing Kool G Rap - Performer Guy Snider - Engineer Teodross Avery - Saxophone Ken Ifill - Mixing Vinia Mojica - Vocals Les Nubians - Performer Xzibit - Performer Steve Souder - Mixing Chris Athens - Mastering Mos Def - Performer Talib Kweli - Vocals, Producer, Executive Producer Monique Walker - Background Vocals

Carlisle Young - Mixing Rah Digga - Performer Asi - Design, Layout Design Rikki Stein - Liner Notes Bassi Kolo Percussion Group - Percussion Big Del - Background Vocals Crossfader Chris - Cutting Engineer Dave Dar - Engineer, Mixing Darcel - Background Vocals Donte - Background Vocals Katushia - Background Vocals Jerome Lagarrigue - Illustrations, Cover Illustration Little Tone - Background Vocals Neb Luv - Background Vocals Nonye - Vocals Tiye Phoenix - Vocals, Background Vocals Kendra Ross - Vocals, Background Vocals Imani Uzuri - Background Vocals, Vocal Arrangement Tiyi Willingham - Background Vocals Willo - Design, Layout Design

Album singles Single information"The Express" (Non-album single) Released: 2000 B-side: "Some Kind Of Wonderful""Move Somethin'" Released: July 18, 2000 B-side: "Good Mourning""The Blast" Released: July 16, 2001 B-side: "Down for the Count" & "Train of Thought""Down for the Count" (UK Only release) Released: 2001 B-side: "Down for the Count (Solo Version)"

Chart history Album Chart (2000) Peakposition US Billboard 20017 US Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums5

Singles Year Song Charrt positions USR&B/Hip-Hop USRap 2000 "Move Somethin'" 321 2001 "The Blast"482

Notes

References

External links Reflection Eternal: Train of Thought at Discogs Album Review at RapReviews