House, R&B, Soul & Rap > UK House House, R&B, Soul & Rap > 2000 to 2005

Advantages: some great tracks, totally original style
Disadvantages: sounds better in a club than on the CD player

A munching gorilla set against a background of stars and vivid pink isn't a look that too many music stars would go for on the front of their albums. However, Brixton's Basement Jaxx aren't your orthodox band. Known to their mothers as Simon Ratcliffe and Simon Buxton, they have been producing music together for almost a decade, although it was only with 1999's 'Remedy' that they fully hit the big time. Whilst Ibiza anthems like 'Red Alert' and 'Rendezvous' ...
...the height of its powers, 'Rooty' was released during a period when only trance seemed to be making an impact on the charts. Unfortunately, due the public's wish to by songs featuring anonymous blonde women singing cliched lyrics over a dull and recycled tune, 'Rooty' wasn't as big a success as it should have been. However, it remains one of the better dance albums to be released this decade. The album begins with 'Romeo', which was the first song ... Read review

Advantages: Basement Jaxx aren't just what they seem!
Disadvantages: The album could be too diverse for some people!

...listening to their third album, Kish Kash, I can definitely tell that this is not your standard club music. Their are anonymous diva vocal remixes of popular songs I often hear when I drag my friends out to the clubs. If nothing else, the vocal collaborations ( Me'Shell NdegéOcello, Siouxsie Sioux ) indicate something special. Kish Kash starts out strong with the track 'Good Luck', which is of a drum & bass style. Complex bass lines support Me'Shell ...
...have claimed that Kish Kash isn't quite as heady or progressive as Jaxx's first two albums? I feel this is true in a way, but I was waiting for something different from them, which they acheived with great results. Overall, a fantastic album with little to let you down. ... Read review

Advantages: A fantastic debut album from pioneers of hooligan house
Disadvantages: One boring track, may be too gritty for some people

...accent. "I want a suburban ego war". The lyrics describe lots of aspects and scenes of urban life and he declares "I want to stay here for the rest of my days." It's a fun and quite light hearted way to end the album even if though it's edgy. The album art for "Ego War" is really quite plain and simple. The cover is a picture of Simon and Tom standing on a tube train but the picture is quite distorted and white letters in graffiti style spell out ...
...with a track listing and another photo very similar to that on the cover. The album art is nothing special and would go unnoticed very easily. Well as for my verdict on the album.....it's pretty damn good. It's similar in style to The Streets except with a more house edge to it with it's massive beats and MC style raps. It's not a life affirming or life changing album but then a dance music album never is and that's not what it's about. "Ego War" ... Read review

Advantages: Classic Hip Hop
Disadvantages: Nothing specific

Released in 1987, "Paid in Full" is the debut album from the legendary Hip Hop duo, Eric B. & Rakim. Until recently, when I educated myself on this musical genre, and the progression which it had made over the years, I knew very little about this pair, other than hearing one of the tracks from this album, "I Know You Got Soul", on a couple of occassions, but I beleive that after hearing the whole album through, you understand its signficance for ...
...record. The rapper, Rakim, and DJ, Eric B. were groundbreaking in what they presented with this album, and their partnership effortlessly combines great production (consisting mainly of Soul and Funk samples), and amazingly complex lyrics. 1. "I Ain't No Joke" Here's a huge way to kick the album off as it begins with such a quality tune, in order to give you a strong impression of where Eric B. & Rakim will take you through these ten tracks. You ... Read review

Advantages: Catchy, upbeat songs that make you want to dance!
Disadvantages: Some of the songs are too simular

Good Girl Gone Bad is Rihanna's third album to be released. The album has achieved considerable worldwide success, including six singles which have been released from the album. The album is Rihanna's most sucessful, going 2X Platinum. Umbrella was the first single to be released, and features Jay-Z. This is her biggest hit to date, winning her a Grammy Award. It went #1 in EVERY COUNTRY featured on Wikipedia's discography page, illustrating its ...
...more places. It has a good beat and i loved it from the first time i listened to it. 8/10 Other good tracks on the album are Breakin Dishes and Rehab. Rehab is probably my favourite song on the album, and it is produced by Justin Timberlake and Timbaland. Overall, I think this album is a brilliant one to have, as it features many well known songs that are easy to listen to. Perfect for any R&B fan, and becuase Rihanna is Barbadian, some songs have ... Read review