Dizzee Rascal - Maths+English

US version of his 2007 album includes three bonus tracks. Written entirely by Dizzee, the album, his third, features contributions from the Arctic Monkeys ('Temptation') U.S rappers UGK ('Where Da Gs') and Newham Generals ('Lemon') as well as production credits from long-time collaborator Cage and also Shy FX, who produces the track 'Da Feelin'. Other highlights on the album include 'Pussy Ole' that's built around the Lyn Collins track 'Think About It', the debut single 'Sirens', and the amazing 'Wanna Be' which sees Dizzee joining forces with Lily Allen as they throwdown their lyrical assault over a cheeky sample from Bugsy Malone, with Future Trax taking care of the production duties. 14 tracks. XL Recordings. Album Description

More of the same, but good nonetheless

There's not a lot to write about "Maths + English". It follows Dizzee's usual, albeit successful, formula fairly closely. The good news is, if you liked his previous two albums, you'll like this because it's more of the same. The bad news is, some people don't need three albums of the same sound. I'll explain:

My criticism is that I don't sense a lot of artistic growth. Dizzee is still playing off ideas he began exploring in the landmark "Boy In Da Corner". I'd like to see him breakout and do something totally unexpected. Since he's obviously a talented and creative guy, I'm sure he could stay within the grime genre, while pushing at its borders.

I'm not one of those critics who wants an artist to completely reinvent themselves for every album. There's something to be said for a clear artistic progression where one piece builds off the next. I just think that, at this rate, it's going to take ten years before Dizzee achieves the radical freshness of his debut album.

Lets talk about the positive qualities: the beats are plenty fresh, the lyrics are rapid-fire and incomprehensible to my American ears, but cool just the same, and the synth sounds are raw. It's got the same sonic footprint of his previous records, which is to say, pounding and intense. You can't help but move to this music. Although I may be missing a lot by not understanding any of the lyrics, I love Dizzee because his accent and delivery are so great. Even if I did understand everything, there's still the small matter of translating all the slang terms.

Even if Dizzee isn't breaking too many boundaries, his intensity and production is as good as ever. Fans will not be disappointed. Those new to Dizzee Rascal would do better to buy "Boy In Da Corner" first, but only because it's one of those special albums that everyone needs to own. Comparing this album with Dizzee's other work would rate 3.5 stars. Comparing this album with other albums in this style rates 4 stars.

(For the record, I love how Dizzee refers to 'beats' as 'maths' - that's awesome) July 14, 2008

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