The Phoenix Network:
 
 
 
About  |  Advertise
Adult  |  Moonsigns  |  Band Guide  |  Blogs  |  In Pictures
 
50bands-gif-port

Review: Speech Debelle | Speech Therapy

Big Dada (2009)
By GUSTAVO TURNER  |  August 3, 2009

SpeechDebelle_Therapy_main

It's unfortunate that there's a glass ceiling in the US market for British hip-hop — but for the lovely, clipped London accent that gives truth to Speech Debelle's delivery, this release would be huge stateside. Speech Therapy has a lot going for it: it's a solid confessional debut about the singer's experiences as a black South Londoner, the backing tracks are inventive jazzy jams played by sympathetic musicians, and the upshot is an uncompromising suite of female-empowerment snapshots.

The title track's mantra, "This is my speech therapy, this ain't rap," notwithstanding, this is truth-telling rap (as powerful as Eminem's "Lose Yourself"), and Speech comes off as a far saner Lauryn Hill, or someone who could break bread with Macy Gray, Erykah Badu, or Missy Elliot. Thanks to the acoustic alchemy she creates with help from Roots Manuva producer Wayne Lotek, however, this is also an album that would delight fans of Tracy Chapman or Joan Armatrading.

On opener "Searching," the post–José González guitars and other strings flow like those sublime instrumentals in Aphex Twin's Drukqs. The uplifting, radio-ready "Spinnin' " could make listeners think of a more achieved, streetwiser Lily Allen. But it's the quieter moments, like "Finish This Album," that mark Speech as an original talent to watch.

  Topics: CD Reviews , Celebrity News, Entertainment, Music Stars,  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

BEST MUSIC POLL 2009
VOTE IN PORTLAND BEST MUSIC POLL 2009
Today's Event Picks
[ART] Cover Me
ARTICLES BY GUSTAVO TURNER
Share this entry with Delicious
  •   ADRIAN SOIZA AND DANI UMPI | DRAMATICA  |  August 19, 2009
    Uruguay, a small nation often shadowed by neighbors Argentina and Brazil, is home to a thriving music scene that has produced some of the best performers and composers of the "southern cone" of South America.
  •   OUR DON DRAPERS, OURSELVES  |  August 12, 2009
    This Sunday is the premiere of the third season of Mad Men (AMC, 10 pm), the Emmy-winning show that made fans of good television have to figure out where AMC was on their basic-cable schedules.
  •   REVIEW: BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE | RUNNING FOR THE DRUM  |  August 10, 2009
    Recent live appearances by Buffy Sainte-Marie show her, once again, setting herself apart from early colleagues like Joan Baez and Judy Collins.
  •   REVIEW: SPEECH DEBELLE | SPEECH THERAPY  |  August 03, 2009
    It's unfortunate that there's a glass ceiling in the US market for British hip-hop — but for the lovely, clipped London accent that gives truth to Speech Debelle's delivery, this release would be huge stateside.
  •   VARIOUS ARTISTS | COMFUSÕES  |  July 29, 2009
    The Portuguese pun on this compilation's title suggests both "confusions" and "with fusions."

 See all articles by: GUSTAVO TURNER

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