Reviews

Spring is upon us and the welcome sound of dulcet jazz hangs in the air like the sweet smell of cherry blossom. Mama’s Gun ushered in the new season with their funky jazzi-fied debut album Routes to Riches in early March. April has more treats in store as Caribbean/Filipina lovely, Elisa Caleb releases Carry Me [...]

“Covering buildings throughout São Paulo, pixação is a style of graffiti native to Brazil and known for its simple, angular lines. In this episode of Cool Hunting Video, we tour the city streets with Joao Wainer, photographer and co-director of a documentary on the subject, who fills us in on the culture and history.” –CoolHunting.com [...]

Soul is Passion and Love. Soul is a Message. That is why Soul is Power. That is where Raheem DeVaughn is Soul.  Empowering his third album The Love And War Masterpeace with a dual vision, Raheem pens reality with neo-soul’s ink and takes a firm stance: in our world let there be love, for our [...]

R&B songstress Keke Wyatt is back with a brand new album Who Knew? – and a brand new look. She still remains to have that soul soothing, exhilarating voice she had when first made her debut feature on Avant’s first album, My Thoughts (2000) on the cover of René & Angela classic “My First Love”. [...]

If one record appropriately heralds the long-awaited advent of Spring it’s Routes To Riches (Deluxe Edition), the feel-good debut by UK outfit Mama’s Gun.  Still, it’s not hard to envision the album ruffling some feathers if it gets the recognition it deserves – their style of funk with an unabashed pop-edge is bound to spark [...]

Whilst many of today’s acts achieve success in all areas, there are only a few whose wordplay prick our ears due to the magnitude of their lyricism. Amidst those who do so, Wretch 32 is the artist most commonly mentioned within the Grime and Hip Hop circuit. His 2008 debut Wretchrospective sported some of the [...]

What better way to take the edge off a cold Monday night in winter than in the company of jazz vocalist Elisa Caleb and her impressive quintet?  Those were my thoughts whilst sat ensconced in the candlelit intimacy of the Vortex Jazz Bar last Monday as the lovely Mrs Caleb and band took to the [...]

Whether or not New Orleans born rapper Jay Electronica will eventually be known as Hip Hop’s last great hope or merely Hip Hop’s latest great hype is a question which has agitated and befuddled the underground Rap community since at least his 2007 release Act I: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge), in which Jay rhymes over [...]

Very rarely has there been an album that has exceeding the expectations of this reviewer. It may be even rarer that there’s an artist that I haven’t heard about make such a massive impact on me and my listening habits. Fortunately, Electric Wire Hustle have exceeded with both. Their album, titled Every Waking Hour, is [...]

Award-winning playwright Bola Agbaje follows the acclaimed Detaining Justice with her latest piece Off the Endz; yet another critique of contemporary British society.  David (Ashley Walters of So Solid Crew, Hustle and Small Island fame) is fresh out of prison – again – and calls on pretty old flame Sharon (Lorraine Burroughs) and childhood friend [...]