The name K-Os (ne Kheaven Brereton) may not mean much to some of us stateside but in Canada that name is widely admired and loved. It’s unfortunate that musicians like K-Os are not getting the same recognition as their counterparts (Feist, Broken Social Scene, etc…). In just a few short years, K-Os has put out two acclaimed albums Exit (2002) and Joyful Rebellion (2004). In his third installment, we find him delving stylistically into genre-bending territory. He has pencil-sharp ear for producing compelling music. On Atlantis, he wears his influences like a badge ranging from soul, jazz, motown, reggae, rock, acoustic and hip-hop. The album is strongly reminiscent of what Andree 3000 wanted to do with The Love Below. What The Love Below lacked in instrumentation, Atlantis: Hymns For Disco made up for trifold.

The veritable melange of genre-crossing on this album might be too much for K-Os fans. He does sing more on this album than Joyful Rebellion but there are songs such as “Highway 7″ or “Black Ice - Hymn 4 Disco” that will satisfy those looking for rhymes. “The Rain,” a soulful ballad which ventures on Stevie Wonder territory, is perhaps his most exciting song to date. Notably “Flypaper” and “Sunday Morning” are more universally appealing with hand-claps and drum beats that will leave you toe-tapping in no time.

Though K-Os’ music focuses on alienation, spirituality, isolation and relationships, his weakest fault lies in his flow. As an emcee, he has not yet mastered his flow and some of his lyrics are rather weak. A Mos Def or Common he is not. K-Os’ musical eclecticism may not be for everyone. His message about positivity is pretty clear all the while shunning mainstream hip hop’s obsession with materialism.

He will scoff at others who may judge his indie cred or if he is hip hop enough. “I’m not one to repeat myself, but if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it,” he sings on “Flypaper.” The state of hip hop today will not be answered when listening to this album but what you will find is a descent eclectic pop album.

MySpace: www.myspace.com/kos