Album review

Stanley Odd

Oddio

added: 29 Jun 2010 // release date: 29 Jun 2010 // label:
reviewer: Mark Andrews

Stanley Odd are a six-piece act that blend hip hop, funk, Rock and R`n`B to create their own fusion of sound that they are currently touring the length and breadth of Scotland with. Having seen them put on a cracking live show before at King Tuts I looked forward to hearing this L.P and have given it more than a fair share of spins since it arrived on my doorstep.

Solareye, The word-smith of the group, has some fantastic lyrics and at times an awesome and relentless flow and they are complimented with the exquisite soulful vocals of Veronica Electronica. Scottish Hip Hop has become an ever more powerful and accessible possibility since the internet boom but the problem has always been that the two extremes of styles have stopped anyone from reaching anything near any kind of chart success. The one extreme has been the poppy fake-Gangsterism of 50 cent wannabes with their predictable Americanised, Bland dance-floor `Bangers`, Whilst the other has been the exciting underground poetic genius of acts such as Loki, Respek BA and Gasp that have enthralled the niche market of Glasgow and the surrounding areas but due to the high speed and skill, Some of the localised nature of the lyrics within the tracks have went over the heads of the industry and the mainstream buying public.

Stanley Odd do an excellent job of bridging that gap between making radio-friendly hip hop without going down the tried, Tested and horribly tired out predictability of many others on that radar . The passion is pure but not aggressive. The lyrics are clever, Topical and hard-hitting yet never too controversial. Nothing an occasional bleep couldnt sort out to get a bit of national radio-play. The production is crisp and the songs contagious. Songs such as `Ten-to-One` and `Numbness` are commercially viable yet fresh, Likeable and thought-provoking.

`Gotta Get Out of Bed` is magnificent. Like an ode to an unemployed superhero who thinks more than he acts. Hilarious in parts especially when Veronika asks `Who in their right mind takes a horse tranquiliser` to which Solareye retorts `I wasnt in my right mind so I couldnt advise her...` Its definitely one of the stand out tracks along with `Move Forward` which is a welcome slice of nostalgia to anyone old enough/ young enough to remember growing up in the 80`s and mid 90`s with mentions of everything from Marty McFly, The A Team to T in the Park `94.

Solareye rhymes at his hardest (and his best in my opinion) on `Electric Sleep` and Veronica`s vocal highlight is probably on the slow-paced ballad of `Sun Dance`. All in all a very good album which deserves extra points since I already know they can carry it off live. I dont think they`ve reached their full potential yet as a band and it will be interesting to see how the next album will sound as they could appeal to both real hip-hop heads and Black-Eyed-Peas fans alike. If you dont know the difference you`ll probably enjoy the music and Veronikas `Fergie-like` melody's. If you do know the difference you`ll probably rate the intelligent words and clear and concise flow of an Airdrie poet.

Either way, These guys (and gal) seem to be onto a winner and you can check them out for yourself at T in the Parks T Break stage on July 10th. If your not T-bound then you can listen to their music here: http://www.myspace.com/stanleyodd

> For more Music-News album reviews click here

Comments

Be the first to comment on this review:

Add your comment

Name

Town & country

Comment

We welcome your opinions. This is a public forum. Libellous and abusive comments are not allowed. Please read our House Rules.

I agree to the House Rules

Enter the number in the image below in the box