Reviewed by Steve Hayes

Long to find something underground with street poetry set to sick beats? Welcome The Praying Mantis, a Midlands-based artist with an album of uncompromising lyrics and political astuteness, without a hint of the usual industry promotional embellishment. In "Pipelines" we discover that life and religious pursuit is worthless without accepting Jesus, over a nice nodding break. "News" is another great summary as a sample from JFK is followed by this rhyming excellence, "The world is corrupt and their system is flawed/A handful of men invented religion and wars/And forgot about the wisdom of the risen Lord" as The Praying Mantis goes on to expose the Devil and the lies of this world. Lyrically, there is a depth of wordplay not displayed by lesser rappers and the insightful wordplay is combined with accessible hooks. With a range of beats and delivery styles, this album will impress all those looking for insightful UK hip-hop as the tracks open our eyes to reality and to Jesus - the powerful "Broken Pottery" being a great example. Get beyond the slightly under-produced beats and you'll find an album full of passion, perception, purpose and lyrical excellence. It has a powerful ending too.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.