Reviewed by Steve Hayes

John Reuben continues his eclectic, almost psychedelic hip-hop crossover journey with yet another thought provoking and excellent album of storytelling. In truth, John Reuben is quietly carving out a real niche. The album gets off to a much more lively start than his introspective previous album, favouring big beats and breaks, more up-tempo than most hip-hop. "Sing It Like You Mean It" starts things off with a funky, almost Tribe-esque beat. As ever, John Reuben addresses a number of social issues. In "Trying Too Hard" John Reuben challenges people who become too cool and try too hard. On "Make Money Money" with a country banjo riff (really!), we take a look at money making and the psychology of rap entrepreneurship and social agendas, "where... the rap game is a sport of psychology/Underdogs go where they find opportunity while spoiled children romanticise poverty." There is more than one track that is almost anthemic, verging on a trip-hop break with a big sound, such as the excellent "Focus", "Universal" and another standout track, "Cool The Underdog". We journey through some catchy songs, "Word Of Mouth" with a challenge, "Are you content like me?" through to near lounge hip-hop such as the pulsating bass-driven "Miserable Exaggeration". To finalise the great range of tracks on the album, we end with "Good Evening" which has a live groovy feel and touch of the Fatboy Slim about it. With many guest musicians and quality production from Gotee, this is John Reuben at his finest.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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