There are very few emcees that can combine a good voice presence and content during their whole career, let alone one album. When Mars Ill (featuring ManChild on the lyrics & DJ Dust on the beats and cuts) first released Raw Material a few years ago – they not only began growing a fan base, but also left the people wanting more to hear. After this Atlanta based group released a “teaser” of a 12 inch last year, the anticipation grew to a point were Ill Boogie records pegged them to release the last of the four series EP from their new catalog.

With Mars latest release, The Blue Collar Sessions, the audience is not only presented with a more mature artist, but also better production and lyrics. Tracks such as “2 Steps” answers Mars question presented in form of a song “What is Love?” on Raw Material by illustrating two people who are “2 steps” away from being whole. The LP’s opener, “Live From Atlantis” presents you with a bird’s eye view of ATL’s flourishing hip-hop scene and with “My Coloring Book” Mars vents on how he strives to differ himself from those who have pre-determined notions of how things are supposed to be or how hip-hop is supposed to sound.

Even though DJ Dust’s choice of drums, samples and loops are dope enough – a few tracks are monotonous and fail to accentuate Man Child’s lyrics; exemplified by “The Siren Song” where Dust’s drum pattern and sample drag on with no real purpose. Another disappointing aspect is with the condensed EP setting, we are left wanting more from Mars Ill. However, with the potential they show in this albeit concentrated effort, there is little doubt we will be hearing more from them in the future.