With limited availability, an excellent fifth album in two years by the collective headed by producer Inflo (Dean Josiah) centres around growing up in inner city London with a mix of old-school soul and African styles. To sharpen the minds of listeners it is also only available to buy or stream for 99 days, which will be 2 October. With urban deprivation, trauma and gang life making up a central theme, it’s refreshing not to hear an drill, grime, autotune or trap-hop, but instead a high-quality old-school soul feel to the music echoing Inflo’s work as producer for Michael Kiwanuka. With vocalists Cleo Sol, joined at times American Kid Sister African-style chanting opens the album on Haha, before the rock-blocking beats of London Gangs, while Trap Life is anything but the genre it refers to - instead a beautiful Afrobeat number. There are also chilling emotionally charged numbers such as the self-medicating damage of Alcohol, but none more than Michael Oro’s narrative about the murder of his father in Dalston in Mike’s Story. Little Simz also makes an appearance in the satirical outside view of You From London, with daft lines about visiting the Queen and “Like people be going to work on horses and stuff?”. Comedy and tragedy in a strong, soulful mix. Out on Forever Living Originals
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