ID

Isaac Diehl (ID) isn't afraid to take chances — not with his delivery as an MC and not with the musicians with whom he surrounds himself. Along with past collaborators Nezbeat and Sleeper, guests such as Ming & FS, Miles Bonny, Deep Thinkers and the Symbol Heavy crew inhabit the Lawrence rapper's latest, Avatar Hotel. Pieced together throughout various projects, the 19-track collection zigzags from dingy, back-alley beats to orchestral compositions. The production is impressive throughout, but at times it — along with the album's overall lack of studio sheen — tends to force the lyricist into the background. This can be problematic with music designed to rock a decent set of headphones instead of a dance floor. Still, Avatar shows why ID is worthy of center stage, especially on minimalistic tracks "Big Dreams," "Already Down" and the live-band-backed "Give More."