Black Grass - Three

  by Daniel Cressey

published: 8 / 5 / 2008

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Hip hop producers Black Grass are part of a select group who seem able to turn out consistently listenable tunes in a wide variety of styles. While a massive strength normally, this versatility can sometime hamstring full length albums where, unless deftly handled, the multiple personalities of different songs can jar rather than mesh. Like all albums of this kind, 'Three' depends to a large degree on the quality of those drafted in to do vocal duties. Those here are the usual mix of good, bad and the ugly. More than on some similar offerings though the guests here seem to be more in control. So J-Live turns in a neat and workmanlike rapping turn on ‘Set it Straight’ and Benjammin is superbly upbeat on the reggae influenced ‘Bass Man’. Dionne Charles, is who appears three times, is infuriatingly inconsistent and rather phones in her performance at points before coming on strong at others. At all these points the vocals seem to take precedence over he whose album this nominally is. While producing some fine music, Black Grass fails to stamp an overall feel on this album. Three sometimes feels more like an above average compilation than a true work from one artist. This is somewhat enhanced by a slight feeling that Black Grass is box ticking for maximum points here. US rapper ? Check. UK rapper ? Check. Soul singer ? Check. Song about partying ? Check. Sassy ‘get over it’ song? Check. Etc. If you like this sort of music you may well find you return again and again to certain tracks here. It is hard though to image you will feel much of a desire to listen to it in its entirety.

Track Listing:-

1 Alright
2 Without Your Love
3 Set It Straight
4 Bass Man
5 Splash the Cash
6 Makin' Emcees Run
7 How Much Can You Take
8 Quetzalcoatl Returns
9 Hold Fire
10 This & That
11 Bless
12 Stormy Weathers
13 Away

Label Links:-

http://www.catskillsmusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/catskillsrecords
https://www.youtube.com/user/Sonorousstar
http://www.last.fm/label/Catskills
https://twitter.com/CatskillsMusic

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