Ugly Duckling - Journey to Anywhere

Journey to Anywhere is Ugly Duckling's full-length debut, and it's certainly an interesting one. I have to admit that I didn't enjoy this album very much when I first bought it. There are a lot of spaced-out jams on this album and not a whole lot of all-out booty shakers. The title track, which basically explores the endless possibilities of dreams, used to put me to sleep. As I've gotten a bit older I've come to appreciate this style of hip-hop.


Journey to Anywhere is filled with clever rhymes and even cleverer beats. The best song on the album is "A Little Samba" which takes on the MTV Cribs expectation and exposes the down-to-earth reality in a comical yet poignant style. Throughout their music, Ugly Duckling is constantly calling into question the violent and profanity-laden modern hip-hop culture. Although Journey to Anywhere still isn't my favorite Ugly Duckling album, I've come to appreciate it more as time has gone by.