newham generals - generally speaking

newhamgeneralls

Pheeeeew. After reviewing that Caspa record it’s nice to have my faith in British Urban music restored. Newham Generals’s ‘Double D’ and ‘Footsie’ have cooked up a hearty debut album with extra tasty production, lyrics to match and catchy choruses thrown in for good measure. Released on ‘Dizzee Rascals’ ‘Dirtee Stank Records’, ‘Generally Speaking’ is a fine nugget of grime, for me it’s almost as good as ‘Dizzee’s Boy In Da Corner’. It’s that Grimey, ‘Kim and Aggie’ wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole.

The more I listen to this record, the more I fall in love with the production. Jungle beats, Hip-Hop beats, Trip-Hop, Dub, it all goes here and it works just fine. However, where the production excels, the rhymes do lack lustre at times. Maybe it’s because I’m constantly comparing the emcees to someone with the delivery, style and charisma of Dizzee. I don’t find any of the lines sticking in my head and popping out in the shower like they do with a Dizzee album.

The beats are relentless, each track seams to excel it’s predecessor. ‘Violence’ has a ‘dubby’, two-step feel. The tracks are well layered, the drum patterns switch-up regularly, and the synth strings add much depth. Guest verses from Dizzee only emphasise what a record this would be if he was rapping over every instrumental. ‘Heard You Been Smoking’ is a monster record with excellent samples and a bass kick that shudders your rib-cage like a body shot from Riddick Bowe.

This record has left a massive smile on my face, an excellent collection of music derived from a genre that sometimes finds it hard to make the transition from radio waves to record release.