Roots Manuva Album: “Run Come Save Me”

Along with Slick Rick and Tricky, Roots Manuva is the biggest MC's to ever come out of the United Kingdom, but still remains relatively unknown on this side of the pond. His MCing is a gritty combination of dancehall toasting, and old-school rhymes, overlaid with pure abstraction. On "Run Come Save Me", Roots Manuva picks up where he left off on 1999's "Brand New Second Hand", and displays an incredible maturity and knack for crafting rhymes while remaining inherently true to his British roots. This album swiftly breezes through many styles, including (but not limited to): chopped up booty 2-step ("Bashment Boogie"), traditional US style hip-hop ("Join The Dots" featuring Jurassic 5's Chali 2na), experimental electro-grooves ("Hol' It Up"), and lots of funky breakbeats colliding with dancehall inna dub style, all given a soul by Manuva's guttural stammer, coming thick with a UK accent. Cheers for England.

After wondering for years if England could ever 'do' hip-hop the answer after listening to 'Run Come Save Me' is an un-sentimental 'yes'.

This is an album with a number of tracks that are immediately exciting in that they are unique. The sound is hip-hop but Roots Manuva has found his own sound without pandering to US precedents and also avoiding an over-the-top 'English' approach.

While five or six of the tracks are instantly likeable some others give the impression of needing more time before a true judgement can me made. In truth I would have listened to anyone English who has created a half-decent hip-hop album but Roots Manuva has definitely done more than this. The only question is whether time and more listening will make five or six good tunes into one of those albums you know from start to finish and never think of skipping a track.

Let's hope we have a star to pave the way for what must be hundreds or thousands who couldn't think it could be done.

"One of the albums of the year" - The Independent

"Not just a landmark UK hip hop album, but a landmark hip hop album period" - Mojo "

Superb" - Time Out

"Brilliant" - Blues & Soul

"Charming, erudite, personal, experimental but always approachable... this is a benchmark for UK hip hop" - Muzik

"One of the sanest offerings to emerge from the British inner city and a healthy anitdote to the inanity of US hip hop" - The Observer

"A great album" - The Daily Telegraph "

Too maverick, too brilliantly original a telent to be thethered by mere genre or geography" - The Times

"Breathtaking" - The Guardian "

Truly marking out the way forward for hip hop, wherever it's from" - Jockey Slut

"A triumphant return... absolutely sensational" - The Sunday Times

"Everything about this album is fresh... the sound of someone making a truly personal record in their own original style." - Sleaze Nation

"Album of the year?" - The Wire

"This is unlike anything - hip hop-wise - out there at the mo. Believe it. The hype behind this man is for real" - Echoes

"A fiercely original, hallucinatory masterpiece, a visonary re-imagining of what hip hop can be... among the best albums of the year" - Esquire

Sorry Amazon, but I just picked this CD up at another store. They were playing it over the sound-system and it immediately caught my attention. I'm not a big hip-hop fan - though the Beasties, Dr. Dre, and Run-DMC I love. But after hearing two songs off this album while browsing around the store, I had to ask the clerk what we were listening to. I hung around, listened to another track, and then picked up a copy for myself. I've never bought anything simply because the store was playing it, but this time I did. After taking this disc home and listening to it in full, I'm glad I did. Interesting lyrics and great rhythms. Fantastic!

This is a classic piece of UK hip-hop, as is Roots Manuva's other album. All the tracks on it, with the exception of 'Trim Body', are great and do not tire after several listens. Of note are the tracks 'Sinny Sin Sins', which attacks organised religion and the hypocrisy associated with it, 'Evil Rabbit', which is slightly strange but great to listen to despite that & the almost obligatory ode..., 'Highest Grade'. We all know it had to be done.

Comparisons to Wyclef Jean made earlier, in my opinion, all missed the point (no disrespect). You don't need to tear down the 'Clef to make Manuva good: he can hold his own. I like 'em both, meself, they both innovate, in different styles, and you may call Wyclef a sell-out, but that was the best Pepsi advert I EVER SEEN. It almost made me want to drink it, honest!

Interestingly, a few UK headz have been aiming criticism at Manuva for this CD. To some of the underground UK scene, he's gone commercial!

I seen the words wit' my own eyes.

Anyhow, this is damnably good music, and if you want some more decent UK hiphop, then check for Blak Twang, Skitz, Phi-Life Cypher, or Mark B & Blade. For your information, of course.