Back To Bizznizz - Lethal Bizzle

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Average
Lyrics	Standard
Quality and consistency of tracks	Mixed
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	A couple of big Grime tracks
Disadvantages:	Inconsistent

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

After emerging as one of the top Grime artists with the release of that genre's breakthrough single, "Pow", on the "Forward Riddim", this 2007 album had Lethal Bizzle work off the hype he had already created with a new album which had him finally able to show that we had got past the developmental stages of it all, and had found what they were looking to achieve. Originally, Bizzle was a member of the Garage group, More Fire Crew, and them, along with the likes of Oxide & Neutrino, and So Solid Crew moved Garage on to this UK version rap.

1. "Intro"

2. "Mr"

This one was one of the main reasons I chose to listen to this album as it has him performing amongst his best work alongside long-term collaborator, Dexplicit, who have him working to a speedy pace and using a kind of new version of the 2-Step sound to hype off. It is just the right way to start the album, and bound to excite all who hear it.

**Five Stars**

3. "Bizzle Bizzle"

This is a big hype track from him, and it has him making the best out of the mood that we are on with the opening recording from him. This is some straight-forward, hardcore Grime from one of the biggest acts in the genre. Although I'm not usually into this kind of thing, the rave-stlyed beats mean that it was appealing to myself.

**Four Stars**

4. "Babylon's Burning The Ghetto"

This is one of many times in the album where Bizzle tries something completely new, on this occasion you have him killing it as he gets into a tunes with him in a high tempo and rapping to a little Breakbeat as he chooses to send out some political messages and attempt to aid though who are in the inner cities, and are receiving abuse unfairly.

**Four Stars**

5. "Boy"

I was never gogin to get into this one, It has him trying out a little Grindie (Grime and Indie fusion), alongside Babyshambles. I have to say that I felt his rhymes, but the whole Babyshambles thing just never came close to being soemthing that I would like to listen to, and it seemed as though he wasted some decent bars on poor backing.

**Two Stars**

6. "Look What You Done"

This one has him doing an even deeper Grindie cut as he collaborates with Kate Nash, and does things to some typical Indie instrumentals, but it really made things sound work. The way he trials Nash's unique style of delivering the lyrics made it all fall apart, so it left it as a flop of a track.

**One Star**

7. "Come Up"

We finally get a break from the weak work from him, and it seemed as though he got right back to the top of his game as he does a tune which gets him slowing the pace down, and doing a track which gets him able to get into a recording which has him takign clear influence from the Dirty South and the gritty type of Hip Hop beats associated with that region of the US. Despite this, he keeps it pure UK, and makes another killer.

**Four Stars**

8. "My Eyes"

Again, he has a go at something he is less familiar with, and chooses to do one that has him trying something that you wouldn't expect to hear from a Grime artist. He is backed soley piano and strings to start off with, and it didn't work in my opinion, the chorus is a bit beter as it gets more energetic, but overal little goes on here.

**One Star**

9. "Sometimes I Think"

This is one of the better ones on the album, and I'm sure that those who are into his more conventional work will feel the same way towards it all as it gets him doing a sort of U version of Nas' "Life's A B***h", from his debut album, and even with a line from the Hip Hop classic, you get him able to make it his own and not make it sound to much like a re-make.

**Four Stars**

10. "Selfridges Girl Not On Myspace"

You have him varying the work once again as you hear him going for one that has him using soem very diffenrent prodcution as it soudns like a weka version of Breakbeat. I wasn't too impressed by this, but the way that he worked it was immpressive, and he was able to control it whilst staying calm and rhyming to his own pace (rather than rushing things).

**Three Stars**

11. "You'll Get Wrapped"

As we get towards the end of the album, we have a track which takes it back to the real Grime work. This is a a killer tune off the album as it has him coming out with some hardcore work, which sends out coscious messages as well as taking it all out on those who assume too much about the inner city lifestyle and about those who live there. You can't get better than this from him.

**Five Stars**

12. "Reflecting"

To end off we have a track which initially sounds as if it's going somewhere, but it just goes to absolutely nothing. The way it begins with heavy Hip Hop beats gives it something to go on, but as soon as you hear the acoustic guitar work, it becomes apparent that he is trying something different again, and it just doesn't work at all.

**One Star**

**Two Stars**

This is an inconsistent album from Bizzle, and although you can certainly enjoy the proper Grime work, the times whe he trials the Indie and other things just doesn't work, and it means that you can't stay pleased with the album for any length of time.