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Verb T & Harry Love
- Bring It Back To Basics
(Silent Soundz)
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| What it says on the tin: "Verb T... Harry Love... back again just to let you know." |
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Verb T's single from this album was met with some feelings of indifference from me, so I was interested to find out if it was a good representative for the album. In general, 'Delusion' provides a touchstone for Bring It Back - straight-forward but pleasing production from Harry Love, married to a slightly unnerving lack of character courtesy of Verb T's laid-back, cynical lyrical demeanour. While being largely unchallenging, Verb T and Harry Love do put on a comfortable show for the listener -- and that's not to be scoffed at. But while making this concession, it's important that we do not belittle UK hip hop or the challenge it actually faces when compared to the achievements of US hip hop.
Harry Love treads a pretty straight line around sometimes routine helpings of crate-dug beats and the occasionally more lush dollops of expansive backdrops and scratches. Tracks like the downbeat 'Chaos' fits smoothly with Verb T's alternately cryptic and absurd lyrics ("move it, like you're next to dynamite with the fuse lit") and the insistent appeal for simplicity that is expressed therein. Other tracks have some nice moments, such as the dark bouncing rhythms of 'Equal Portions' and the bizarre trip hop parody of 'Makin' It'. It's not deep innovation, but there is solid craftsmanship here.
The occasional problem Verb T faces is feeling ready for a full-length outing, but not having enough interesting material to fill up the gaps between the big-hitters. Take the second track, 'Action'. Ironically, besides noting that "nothing would happen without any action", Verb T doesn't really push out the boat lyrically, amusingly enough ensuring that there really is no "action" on this track (a clever satire?). Besides this and a few other meanderings (such as 'Get Dis Happnin'), Verb has some scope to cover in Bring It Back. 'Not Enuf Hours' is a cry that many would identify with, 'Dreaming' is a twisting journey through Verb T's imagination, working the Paris riots of 2005, 'Behind Ur Eyes' is an atypical love song (amusingly fetishising the woman's mind), 'The Overdose' a verbal battle shrouded in medical paraphernalia, Dr Octagon-style.
The success of this album lies mostly with the listener. Expect too much, and you'll get disappointed. The solid base provided by Harry Love and Verb T (as well as the other guest emcees) is enough, however, to carry Bring It Back through the duff tracks that are found mostly on the first half of the album. |
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| Stuart Reeves - 7/10 |
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