Deviants of Reality are a duo consisting of DJ Alex J. and Udig the Mental, hailing from Red Bank, New Jersey, and whose sophomore release, Love, Sex, and Situation, attempts to ride the conscious hip-hop wave. While offering a non-misogynistic slab of relationship-inspired tracks, Deviants fall flat with clumsy rhymes devoid of any lyrical value and bland soul beats throughout this trudge of a record. Love is steeped in the sound of the ‘90s, an attempt to capitalize on the backpack sound of hip-hop’s forefathers like De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest. But over a never-ending barrage of hackneyed drum and keyboard sounds, as on the tepid “Perfect World” and the elevator-friendly “So Divine”, the duo delivers staggered rhymes that reflect an inability flirt with the English language and an incapacity to maintain the listener’s attention. “Sex Music”, far more underwhelming than the name would suggest, is an example of the duo’s lack of eloquence with such an easy subject, featuring uninteresting lyrics like “Let’s talk about you and me / Pretty kinky, ma, I’d have to agree / So unique, so original / Expect the way you like to take it slow”. This album is a clear example of what can happen when a mic falls into the wrong hands, and despite its Teddy Riley-esque collection of grooves, Love, Sex, and Situation is about as captivating as a made-for-TV soft-core pornography film.

• Multiple songs MySpace