The Phoenix Network:
 
 
About  |  Advertise
Adult  |  Moonsigns  |  Band Guide  |  Blogs  |  In Pictures
 
CD Reviews  |  Classical  |  Live Reviews  |  Music Features

Dizzee Rascal

Maths + English | XL
By MATTHEW GASTEIER  |  June 12, 2007
3.0 3.0 Stars
dizzee_rascal_inside
Five years after Dizzee Rascal’s stark, revolutionary Boy in da Corner, he and the grime genre he helped popularize are struggling through an awkward growing phase. That debut’s once-abrasive but always brilliant beats seem surprisingly accessible in today’s abstract and atmospheric hip-hop landscape. Maths + English is the British MC’s third album, and he’s trying to find his place in this brave new world grime helped create. Two pop-flirting collaborations — “Where’s Da G’s” with Houston’s Underground Kingz and “Temptation” with Arctic Monkeys lead singer Alex Turner — go over great for both Dizzee and his guests; Lily Allen, on the other hand, crashes and burns on “Wanna Be,” a nursery-rhyme-like silly dis track that’s both clichéd and grating. The more prevalent style on this disc looks back to earlier British electronic movements, like IDM, breakbeat, and especially 2-step’s crackling drum licks and soulful synth tones. “World Outside” could have been produced by Aphex Twin, whereas the horn-sporting “Flex” is an unapologetic dance track. Boy in da Corner may be the classic Dizzee will be forced to chase for the rest of his career, but Maths + English shows him still striving.
Related: Going on sale: April 14, 2006, Burial, On the racks: October 31, 2006, More more >
  Topics: CD Reviews , Entertainment, Hip-Hop and Rap, Music,  More more >
  • Share:
  • Share this entry with Facebook
  • Share this entry with Digg
  • Share this entry with Delicious
  • RSS feed
  • Email this article to a friend
  • Print this article
Comments

[ 11/29 ]   "Night Song"  @ St. John's Episcopal Church
[ 11/29 ]   Wynonna  @ MGM Grand @ Foxwoods
[ 11/29 ]   Mountain Goats + Final Fantasy  @ Wilbur Theatre
[ 11/29 ]   Phish  @ Cumberland County Civic Center
[ 11/29 ]   John Fogerty  @ Orpheum Theatre
ARTICLES BY MATTHEW GASTEIER
Share this entry with Delicious
  •   UGK  |  September 18, 2007
    Underground Kingz is not quite an instant classic, but it would be hard to deny that UGK have reclaimed their throne.
  •   TALIB KWELI  |  August 20, 2007
    Ear Drum doesn’t reach the highs of that far more ambitious and sprawling album, but it’s a welcome return to form.
  •   SKILL RIDE  |  July 17, 2007
    All it took was a Godzilla sample and a simple, forceful “Simon says get the fuck up” for Pharoahe Monch to leave his mark on hip-hop history.
  •   THE HATE-LOVE-HATE CYCLE  |  June 18, 2007
    The field is already packed with newcomers and veterans alike, all aiming to knock down my standards of good taste and respectability . . .
  •   DIZZEE RASCAL  |  June 12, 2007
    Boy in da Corner may be the classic Dizzee will be forced to chase for the rest of his career.

 See all articles by: MATTHEW GASTEIER

MOST POPULAR
RSS Feed of for the most popular articles
 Most Viewed   Most Emailed 



  |  Sign In  |  Register
 
thePhoenix.com:
Phoenix Media/Communications Group:
TODAY'S FEATURED ADVERTISERS
Copyright © 2009 The Phoenix Media/Communications Group