20 August 2007 (gig)
03 August 2007
The return of Henry Young aka Relentless MC to the stage has been a long time coming, since he became disillusioned with the business, and it did not disappoint. A room at the top of a pub in London Bridge wasn’t necessarily the most obvious place for a hip-hop comeback, but that didn’t detract from the passion of both performer and audience who almost filled the room beyond its capacity.
Relentless is master of the art of the true life story, basing most of his songs on his own experiences, on songs such as 'It’s My Turn’ – there’s no pretence or posing in the lyrics, just a very true declaration that this could very well be his time.
Occasionally, when he veers into the slower tunes he loses the rhythm, but that is nothing that can’t be rectified with the addition of some soulful backing vocals, sparingly (unfortunately) provided by his cousin Nazarene, who surely with a voice that rich must be destined for an awesome career herself.
It was a family affair again when T.R.E joined the party to lay down some lyrics as well, but the star of the show was definitely Relentless. The songs at the end of the first half of the set just kept getting better and better, and seemed much more complete and accomplished than the earlier tracks.
The second half started with a very heartfelt, but perhaps a little cheesy, reading of a Nelson Mandela piece, followed by possible summer anthem 'Cruising’ (which would really have benefited from the kind of backing vocals that Nazarene had injected earlier in the set). Some acappella follows, with Relentless sounding just as good without the music as with. Next followed a killer three song combo, 'Caught Up With Myself’, 'Reality’ and 'Free State’, further highlighting Relentless MC’s talent for real honest lyrics.
Finishing the set with a good old fashioned party tune, 'So You Wanna Be’, with added crowd participation, Relentless was clearly loving it, and it seemed that he had managed to win over the few members of the crowd without a real interest in hip hop. All in all, not a classic, but certainly a very triumphant return to the stage. Make sure you check him out on the 19th August at Spice of Life in Leicester Square.
