September 6, 2010

Album review: Roots Manuva Meets Wrongtom - Duppy Writer (Big Dada)

Roots returns with a predictable record, but one perfect for summer boozing

6 / 10 In a UK hip-hop scene that fluctuates between talent famine (usually when rappers inexplicably try to hang out with indie bands) and the current feast, Roots Manuva has become as comfortingly reliable as a beloved cardigan. This is not a new release as such, rather a bunch of reworkings by Hard-Fi (!) collaborator Wrongtom, and the accent is very much on gentle dub and summery reggae. It’s all rather one-paced and sags badly after tenth track ‘Lick Up Ya Foot’ but, by crikey, the likes of ‘Big Tings Redone’ and ‘Dutty Rut’ provide the perfect soundtrack for out-on-the-stoop sunshine boozing. Which is what stoops are for.

Pete Cashmore