After spending a weekend at Bernie's and leading a covert coup with Alchemist, New Orleans rhymesayer Curren$y has returned with a live-instrument collaborative album, "The Muscle Car Chronicles." Featuring music written by producer Sean O'Connell and Robert E. Corrigan, Jr., drums by The Mars Volta's Thomas Pridgen, and Curren$y's signature lyrical dexterity, "Chronicles" combines Spitta's casually deft flow with a loud jazz-rock live band.

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"Chronicles," released yesterday (Feb. 14) as a surprise, finds Curren$y stepping outside his comfort zone but still right at home with the intense, hard-hitting beats from the live band. While previous efforts like "Covert Coup" and "Weekend At Bernie's" allowed Spitta to weave and wrap his agile lyricism around more sparse, spaced out sonics or bouncy, low-ridin' beats, "Chronicles" might bang harder than any of Curren$y's previous projects. Most tracks are short and interspersed with talk between Curren$y and the band, giving an overall jam-session feel. Hooks are few and far between on "Chronicles," but Curren$y rarely sleeps on the spit, and the album is no exception.

Recorded in New York in 2010, "Chronicles" actually precedes Curren$y's major label debut "Pilot Talk." The record is officially titled "Sean O'Connell Presents: The Muscle Car Chronicles, Featuring Curren$y" and will include a bonus side of O'Connell's music.

BluRoc label head Damon Dash expressed admiration for the collaboration between O'Connell (his first singer-songwriter signee), Curren$y, and the live band. "This album is art to me," revealed Dash. "It's 100% independent, without compromise. It wasn't made for the radio."

"We didn't record it for any other reason than the love of the music being made."