It's an album that has been whispered about for years, its existence debated like that of Bigfoot or Chinese Democracy . Some have reported hearing tracks and, occasionally, rumors of a release date surface. I've talked to those in the know several times in the past few years and have always been assured that yes, the record was coming. Soon. Very soon.

The rumors are finally true. The album is Segregation , a 20-track epic by Augusta hard rock/hip-hop act Jemani. The record, according to frontman Ike Isaac, will be ready for release early in 2009, and he was kind enough to slip me a copy of the master.

It is ambitious.

The first 10 tracks are classic Jemani, melodic metal riffing layered over rapid-fire hip-hop. It's a sound that has been compared favorably to Sevendust, although the homer in me makes me think Jemani pulls it off with more grace.

The second 10 tracks are the real surprise, a straightforward hip-hop set that eschews most of the fire and fury of the electric Jemani sound in favor of studio beats and complex lyrical spins.

While both sets are polished, professional and hard-rocking smart, the back half represent this band's best shot at success.

Yes, the rock tracks are amazing and I'd love to hear them live, as that's where this band really shines. But I feel they are too easy to lump in with a musical movement whose moment has come and gone. Pretenders such as Limp Bizkit diluted the legitimacy of rock/rap crossovers long ago, and while this is an excellent example of the form, my fear is that it will unjustly get compared with bands now filed under has-been and once-was.

While promoted and recorded as a straight rap set, the hip-hop tracks clearly belie the band's rock roots. There's an aggressiveness here, a sense of lyrical acceleration, that's as much pedal to the Sabbath metal as it is syncopated beats. While sonically quite different, the tracks feature the same sort of indignation, anxiety and intelligence that made Public Enemy enthralling in the late 1980s.

Of course, the question remains, what took so long? According to Ike, it was the trials and travails of rock 'n' roll -- bad band behavior, babies, weddings -- all the things that conspire against rock. Thankfully, those seem to have been set aside, and with Segregation , Jemani can once again integrate itself into the music community.

On a not totally unrelated note, congratulations to Jemani bass player Jason Guy (one of my favorite four-string players in town), who is joining the matrimonial ranks.

NOT A DRY EYE

Imagine a room full of musicians, accustomed to the stage sneer and artful aloofness, avoiding eye contact, sniffling occasionally and, in more than a couple of cases, openly crying. That was the scene Friday at the 12 Bands of Christmas CD release party.

Knowing that Lights of the Boulevard would be introduced toward the end of the evening, many tried to steel themselves to the emotional onslaught. I wrote about the song, briefly, last week and mentioned that it was written for Augusta musician John "Stoney" Cannon, his wife, Jean, and their daughter, Alexis, who died this year.

I knew it was a powerful tune, well-written and recorded. What I did not foresee was the emotional impact it would have on a room full of musicians who consider the Cannon family part of their own. I stayed relatively composed until Stoney and Jean embraced during the song's chorus. That's when I lost it. I was not alone. None of us, I feel certain, feels ashamed.