Strange Fruit Project

This hip-hop trio from Waco, Texas (comprised of Myth, Myone and Symbolyc One aka S1), definitely managed to pick a moniker with a painful history, a simple name that conjures the torment of Billie Holiday and generations of African-American oppression. It all seems part of the group's plan to elevate weary spirits with uplifting words and grooves that don't sugarcoat reality. One of the most endearing qualities of The Healing is the human touch that holds the album throughout, from the tears and utterances of pain that introduce the songs to the heartbeats that flit through interludes. Those somehow manage to say as much as the soaring gospel feel of "God Is" or the considerably more rugged "Under Pressure."

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Not being upstaged by their collaborators is just one of the many ways that Strange Fruit Project avoids the trapping clichés of urban music. One of the greatest compliments to pay these young artists is that the more well-known guests don't overshadow the talent of the group. Instead, they blend well on songs with soul eccentric Erykah Badu ("Get Live") and North Carolina hip-hop group Little Brother ("Rise"). Southern trees still produce strange fruit, but the blood has washed away.4 stars