If international acclaim equaled dope lyrics and production on record, these guys would be at the top of the game. Unfortunately, the connection isn’t always so simple. The Mystik Journeymen hit us with Magic, a project that will certainly satisfy their voracious fans but do little to draw in the skeptics from other realms.

The listening experience kicks off with the title track, providing one of the better listening experiences on the project. If you didn’t already know the formula, Sunspot Jonz provides the backdrops for the duo to weave their tales of life in the independent lane. Tracks like “Moonprayer (It’s All Love)” leave the listener wanting more, as the synthesizer theatrics keeps us in search of loops, breaks, or at least maybe some acoustic life to be breathed into the tracks. “MMMmmm”, featuring Grouch and Scarub, is one of the better tracks on the album, bringing along Legendary crew favorites for a posse collaboration.

All in all, the project falls into the not great, not bad category. These guys earn props for keeping it independent in the face of media conglomerates. While the tracks seem to blend together, becoming an indistinguishable mesh of synthesizer concoctions, if you like previous Mystik Journeymen projects, this one will blend in well with the even larger mesh of Living Legends lore.