Digable Planets’ sophomore album deepened the premise of their debut Reachin’, and ended up sounding like nothing else in rap music history. By far, the weakest element of Reachin’ was the rapping itself, but with Blowout Comb, Ladybug, Butterfly, and Doodlebug accepted their limitations as MCs and chose to focus all their creative energy on the musical canvas. The results are stunning. Drawing heavily on the subdued-yet-groovy atmosphere of '60s-era Blue Note, Blowout Comb doesn’t just sample jazz from that label, it embodies its spirit. “The May 4th Movement,” “Jettin’,” and “Dog It” are as mercurial and entrancing as anything ever recorded by Bobby Hutcherson, Donald Byrd, or Grant Green. “Graffiti” and “Borough Check” are cloaked and cool, sliding through the nighttime city with the silent motions of a cat burglar. The album reveals secrets at every turn. For example, it takes repeated listens to realize that the bizarre beat in “9th Wonder” is actually a James Brown drum break played back in super slow motion. While the group’s whispered, sometimes awkward rapping was a distraction on Reachin’, here it finds its place as a fully integrated thread in a complex musical tapestry. The seven minutes of “Black Ego” — the group’s peak performance — are as multi-layered and musically sophisticated as hip-hop music could ever hope to become.