BLAK TWANG – THE ROTTON CLUB (BAD MAGIC/WALL OF SOUND)
April 13th, 2005 by duck
First off, the good news; Three years after the excellent “Kik Off”, Tony Rotton AKA Blak Twang is back for the fourth LP and, as usual, his self produced reggae flecked hip hop beats are in full effect.
Sadly, judged against his previous release the music on “The Rotton Club” is less upbeat, a little less individual and, in places, even a little more American in style.
Lead single “G.C.S.E” provides a reliable signpost for what is to come. It’s apparently intended to “fill the gaps in sex education classes” but actually comes across as more than a little crass, with the sing song rap never reaching terminal velocity, and sentiments like “never trust them beenies that tell you they’re on the pill” sounding played out. Maybe there are some twelve year olds out there that this will help out, or maybe not, but I doubt whether that audience is really where this album is targeted and I think the rest of us could have dealt with a slightly more complex examination of sexual health.
Perhaps I’m quibbling here, an artist is, and should be, free to tackle whatever issues they choose. An examination of the remainder of “The Rotton Club’s” subject matter merely reinforces my disappointment though. There are two or three “diss tracks”, two tracks “for the ladies”, “Stop and Search” is about racist policing, whilst “Travellin’” tells us that Tony’s been to some other countries and “Roadworks” informs the audience that he’s pretty darn street. If this list sounds a little familiar, it’s because it’s the same list of subjects central to a thousand other hip hop albums. Which would be all well and good if the beats and rhymes were gelling well, and the lyrics were of a higher quality, but the invention and lyrical dexterity of classics like “19 Long Time” is in most cases lacking on this record.
It’s not that this is the world’s worst hip hop album, not by a long chalk. It’s simply that unfortunately for Mr. Rotton his album has dropped within a couple of months of a genuinely innovative and unique example of UK hip hop from Roots Manuva. In the inevitable comparison this is a little way away from the current premier league of UK urban music, despite some moments of brightness (the beat on “Roadworks” has a fantastic swagger for example, and the melodic ragga hybrid of “Where Lions Roam” points clearly to the heights Blak Twang can reach when on form). There’s definitely something to be found here for confirmed fans, but everyone else may be better off waiting for the next album – and as Tony is at pains to point out he has “six more in him” so there is hope he might stretch himself a bit more next time round.
Duck
‘The Rotten Club’ by Blak Twang is out now on Wall of Sound.
