Since his rise to fame back in 2001 with the acclaimed Run Come Save Me and the epic track “Witness (1 Hope)”, Rodney Smith has become Lord and Saviour of the British rap scene as Roots Manuva. What does his sixth album have to offer?
Opening track “Hard Bastards” is a powerful string infused melody, with a lazy, pulsating rhythm that immediately has you nodding along. Listen to the lyrics and you’ll hear a lament for the working classes and social hierarchy. The emotion inherent in the subject matter borders on becoming a little over the top but stops just short of becoming over wrought.
Things don’t cheer up with second song “Crying” which, as the title might suggest, features staccato samples of various wails and gasps with the cold melody of the synth being suitably dark and murky to match the title as well. “Facety 2:11” follows with a frenetic looped sample creating an almost schizophrenic inner monologue. Once the lyrics start we’re treated to a fast rap that smooths over the scratchy sounds of the beat underneath it. A marked change of feel occurs though with fourth track (and first single from the album) “Don’t Breathe Out”.
Featuring a sample of Barry White’s “Honey Please, Can’t Ya See” it’s not super-uplifting, but it is far removed from the previous opening section of the album. As the melody takes a back seat, Smith’s lyrical groove has time to shine and then is wonderfully book-ended with a guest falsetto vocal line from Sylas. It puts me in mind of James Vincent McMorrow and excellently adds tenderness to the song. “Cargo” is up next with a cold piano intro that trickles down the spine and then slowly takes a back seat to the beat and synths. Once it kicks in, it takes a strong will not to nod your head along to it and is one of my favourite tracks on the album. “Stepping Hard” is relatively mellow but does well to hold your interest with a swung rhythm that stands in contrast to the straight groove employed elsewhere in the tune. It’s one of the longest tracks on the album though and it suffers a little for it.
Bleeds is the sixth album from Roots Manuva
The deeply pitch-shifted vocal brings along “Me Up!” and once the beat kicks in, we’re once again treated to the exquisitely executed rapping of Smith that dances over the marching digital rhythm. Again it’s one of the standout tracks on the album. “One Thing” features a dark melody often associated with the less radio friendly American Rap tracks and is ultimately a bit forgettable. Penultimate track of the album “I Know Your Face” starts off with a string arrangement that tempts you into thinking that Smith is about to commence his first ballad but is of course underpinned by a Massive Attack-esque beat. Track ten and album closer “Fighting For?” treats us to a keys intro that Bill Withers would be proud of and again shows off Smith’s rhythmical prowess with lyrics.
I’m a little bit at a loss to decide how I feel about Bleeds. The general feel of the album is mostly one of someone who’s been really hard done by and the dark and murky music only furthers this characteristic. It’s a nice bit of variety when your music library is on shuffle but it feels a little too much for a whole album. Thankfully Smith’s lyrical talent is still there for all to hear but the verging-on-tears wailing from a couple of the tracks is enough to make you think twice before putting the album back on. There isn’t a memorable anthem on here like “Witness (1 Hope)” or “Here We Go Again” from previous albums, but there’s definitely some good material here if you don’t mind going through the more angst-ridden tracks.
Author: Steve, Bristol store
