Category: Reviews

  • Raphael Saadiq – Stone Rollin' | Album Review

    R&B/Soul legend and Grammy-Award winning singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Raphael Saadiq recently released his fourth studio album Stone Rollin’ (March, 2011) and the follow up to 2008’s instant class is The Way I See It. Expanding the mid-’60s Motown “classic soul revival” sound into more eclectic territory by including elements of classic Rock & Roll,…

  • Random Axe – Random Axe | Album Review

    If the average Hip Hopper were to throw out three names in the game which were underrated, overlooked and so forth, Guilty Simpson, Black Milk and Sean Price would definitely be mentioned. The underground’s favourite sons have put in the work for some years, with various high profile collaborations and productions featured on video games…

  • Bad Meets Evil – Hell: The Sequel | Album Review

    It was in 1999 when the world first witnessed when ‘Bad’ met ‘Evil’. Detroit’s finest rappers and long-term friends Eminem and Royce Da 5’9″ collaborated on the former’s Slim Shady LP, where both of their sick-to-def styles crossed paths making for a fine outing. But throughout the years, disagreements, personal tragedy and label drama contributed…

  • Sade Live @The_O2, London (May 31, 2011) | Gig Review

    Tuesday 31 May marked the long awaited return to the London stage of the legendary Helen Folasade Adu and band, better known as Sade. Ms Adu is a veritable prodigal daughter in touring terms anyway, having last played these shores in 1993. Although she claims to enjoy performing, her nearly-20 year absence from the UK…

  • Little Baby Jesus by Arinze Kene | Theatre Review

    The dream team of playwright/actor Arinze Kene and director Ché Walker are back at The Oval Theatre, South London with Little Baby Jesus. First staged at the Oval as part of 2010’s 33% Season this coming-of-age tale with a twist is comprised of three separate but occasionally intertwining monologues by Kehinde (Fiston Barek), Joanne (Seroca…

  • Little Baby Jesus by Arinze Kene | Theatre Review

    The dream team of playwright/actor Arinze Kene and director Ché Walker are back at The Oval Theatre, South London with Little Baby Jesus. First staged at the Oval as part of 2010’s 33% Season this coming-of-age tale with a twist is comprised of three separate but occasionally intertwining monologues by Kehinde (Fiston Barek), Joanne (Seroca…

  • Mamas Gun – The Life and Soul | Album Review

    Andy Platts and his consortium of A-grade, retro-lovin’ musicians, Mamas Gun, are back with The Life and Soul; their follow up to 2009’s light and breezy Routes To Riches.

  • [Verb]Swish – Teach-Err, Teach-Err: The Learnt Lessons | Album Review

    On a blaze of good musical intentions and eye-catching artwork, wordsmith extraordinaire Richard ‘[Verb]Swish’ Smartt Jnr releases his debut full length album, Teach-Err, Teach-Err: The Learnt Lessons.

  • X-Men: First Class | Film Review

    Traditionally speaking, a major movie franchise that began almost eleven years ago and has currently re-emerged with an almost entirely different cast and production crew would be refereed to as a franchise reboot. The term, however, seems far from apt at describing X-Men First Class. The right expression, for the new addition to the film…

  • Ladysmith Black Mambazo @BarbicanCentre, London (May 23) | Gig Review

    51 years and counting since the group’s inception, the South African institution that is Ladysmith Black Mambazo waxes strong as ever. The still astonishingly spritely founder Joseph Shabalala realised his gift for songwriting through a recurring dream that haunted him for six months. More than five decades later and one million records sold in the…