Category: Reviews
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Album Revisited: The XX – XX
The XX continue to tag the international concert scene with their iconographic marker XX, kicking off last week in Tokyo and whirlwind-ing Europe and the US for the next three months. Now a threesome since guitarist Baria Qureshi left the band last November, this all-black-clad crew was and still is one of the most exciting…
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Mixtape Review: Game & DJ Skee – The Red Room
Never one to shy away from controversy, West Coast supremo Game has a had a career with many talking points. Whether the onslaughts with former employers G-Unit or his recent stabs at Jay-Z, amidst all of this was his knack to put out hardened gangsta rap which appealed to a wider spectrum than his Khaki…
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Live Review: Nneka @ Scala (London, April 28)
A delightfully diverse not to mention hot and sweaty crowd packed out London’s Scala venue last Wednesday in anticipation of seeing future African folk/soul legend, Nneka Egbuna light up the stage. As her superb band teased the waiting masses with a low rumbling groove, the crisp voice of the petite and perfectly formed Nigerian songstress…
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Live Review: Sankorfa @ Borderline (London, April 23)
It’s something of a cliché now to say a band defies categorisation but the sonic mavericks of Sankorfa are only too worthy of this observation. Formed in 2004, Guildhall School of Music alumnae Michael Allen, Zands Duggan, Ruth Gomez and Scott Wilson are the four multi-instrumentalists behind the band, who borrow their name from an…
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Mixtape Review: Wiz Khalifa – Kush & Orange Juice
Since covering the XXL Freshmen ’10, I feel I’ve grown closer to each of the protagonists selected, this being due to the amount of research I had to put into finding out abut them. As a consequence, I now find myself being drawn to any release from them due to the amount of time spent…
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Album Review: Vivian Green – Beautiful (E1 Music)
Vivian Green is back on the scene with her third studio album, Beautiful – a title that simply defines her instantly recognisable voice, style and lyrics. Having written songs for the likes of Boyz II Men and Britney Spears and provided backing vocals for Jill Scott, Vivian Green’s debut A Love Story (2002) was certified…
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Album Review: Raul Midon – Synthesis
When God was handing out talent, Raul Midon must have found himself one of the first in line. This honey-voiced, virtuoso guitarist and accomplished songwriter (who also does a mean impression of the muted-trumpet) is now three albums deep and his star shows no sign of waning. The Afro-Argentinian singer-songwriter first made major ripples on…
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Mixtape Review: Kano – Jack Bauer: The 7 Day Edition
It’s hard to fathom that Kano has graced the music scene for well over seven years now. An underground artist whose sound has remained grounded in the murkier Grime sounds, even when experimenting music’s most influential figures, his successes have been one of the more ‘genuine’ triumphs. As he returns back to the format which…
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Event Review: Benin City EP Launch (London, 31st March)
The Roundhouse, Camden on Wednesday night was full to the brim as fans present and future of alternative Hip Hop outfit Benin City [pictured above] gathered for their EP launch in association with PoeJazzi showcase events. The night was hosted by South London’s finest, rapper Davey J who was kicking on all cylinders. His frenetic…