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Average: 4.5 (22 ratings)
- Date Released: September 1, 2008
- Genre: Hip-Hop/R&B
- Style: Rap, Hip-Hop
- Label: Big Dada / Iris
Roots knocks us dead with a sensational new album.
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We Say...
More than a little freaked out by over-literal readings of the tribulation-heavy lyrics on Awfully Deep, his last "album proper," South London rapper/producer Rodney Smith a.k.a. Roots Manuva has opted for a lighter, more groove-oriented follow-up. Slime & Reason shrugs off the burden of concept album, favoring instead more conventional verse/chorus structures and catchy vocal riffs — both of which are obvious on the thrusting, infectious skank of opener "Again & Again" and the hilarious "Buff Nuff."
Even at the stage of his career where he could pull in big-name cameos, Roots Manuva is still choosing up-and-coming or relatively underground talents for collaborators, such as Sheffield's fresh-faced DJ/producer Toddla T. Among his sparky electro/ragga productions, the crunchy beats and bomb-drop whistles of "I'm A New Man" are especially impressive.
The juxtaposition of unlikely elements is still a distinctive trademark, with "Let the Spirit" coming across like OutKast covering the Human League, while Bob Earland's febrile vintage synths, a stark breakbeat and gospel-flavored chorus rub shoulders with Smith's steady flow on "It's Me Oh Lord." It's one of at least three tracks revisiting his lager-crazed street corner-preacher persona, while "The Show Must Go On" finds our narrator out on his ear, heartbroken and homeless. Another consistently engaging and often wickedly funny release. -
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| 01. |  |
Again & Again |
4:07 |  |
| 02. | |
C.R.U.F.F. |
3:55 | |
| 03. | |
Do Nah Bodda Mi |
3:16 | |
| 04. | |
Let The Spirit |
4:39 | |
| 05. | |
Kick Up Ya Foot |
3:44 | |
| 06. | |
A Man’s Talk |
3:48 | |
| 07. | |
Buff Nuff |
2:16 | |
| 08. | |
It’s Me Oh Lord |
3:34 | |
| 09. | |
2 Much 2 Soon |
5:24 | |
| 10. | |
Do 4 Self |
3:12 | |
| 11. | |
The Show Must Go On |
6:09 | |
| 12. | |
I’m A New Man |
3:06 | |
| 13. | |
Well Alright |
3:59 | |
| 14. | |
The Struggle |
3:48 | |
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