Respecta.is - The Ultimate Hip Hop Portal

On October 3rd, Rodney Smith aka Roots Manuva
will release a brand new studio album,
4everevolution, via Big Dada/Banana Klan. The
album is just a few seconds under an hour
long, consists of seventeen tracks and covers
every style from wonky reggae through
pop-funk, street spitting, straight up hip
hop, sung ballads and epic death-disco. It
deepens much of what Mr Manuva has already
achieved over a glorious decade of innovation,
but also throws in enough new ideas and
adventures to last most creative artists a
lifetime. We think it's his very best work
since Run Come Save Me. We're wondering
(whisper it) whether it might be his best
album ever.

Much of 4everevolution was made in conjunction
with various members of Smiths Banana Klan
crew. Production for Revelation and string
arrangements on Smiths own Skid Valley came
from Gibbs King, Ollie and Olmino produced the
monster-funk number Beyond This World.
Meanwhile, current and former band members
play drums, guitar and bass on a variety of
tracks (as did Mr Manuva himself), while
longtime side-man Ricky Ranking crops up with
vocal contributions on Wha Mek and the
darkest of toasts on In The Throes Of It. DJ
MK, meanwhile, adds chorus vocals to Banana
Skank a croonsome new direction for the
veteran turntablist and Daddy Kope spits in
the style of UK hip hops finest on Crow
Bars. The only other productions on the
record not from Manuvas own hand arrives via
the antipodes. Producers Dizz1 (Here We Go
Again) and Monkeymarc (Who Goes There?)
show how much of Manuvas unquantized lope has
been absorbed by producers on the other side
of the world. In addition to Ranking and MK,
vocal contributions come from Skunk Anansies
Skin (on the state-of-the-nation diatribe
Skid Valley, which also features Skunk
Anansies legendary bass player, Cass Lewis),
new talents Rokhsan (on both first single Get
The Get and Beyond This World) and Elan
Tamara (The Path) compete for glory with the
beauty of the voice of a veteran like Spikey
Tee (Here We Go Again). Perhaps the most
touching singing on the record, though, comes
from Manuva himself, who flexes his melodic
jones on a trio of tracks which perhaps
reaches its peak on the loping, self-effacing
ballad Wha Mek?

Overall, despite the presence of this or that
guest, the vision remains that of one man.
Roots Manuva has honed his craft across four
previous studio albums, picking up a MOBO,
plus Brit and Mercury nominations along the
way. This record, though, represents some of
his freshest, most urgent work. Whether
castigating politicians or his own failings,
joking about girls or spinning yarns about men
in love with their computers, ruminating on
the void at the heart of "urban" music or
bigging himself up, crooning an apology or
growling ridiculous sex rhymes, Roots Manuva
remains one of the foremost lyricists and
musicians of his generation. Cherish him
hes the very best weve got.