Filling the Winehouse-shaped hole in Pop...
Nse Ette | Lagos, Nigeria | 04/20/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ben Drew is Plan B and his sophomore CD "The defamation of Strickland Banks" comprises Motown/Northern Soul-inflected music, in sharp contrast to his Hip Hop/Rap debut.
Making him stand out just that more from a scene already awash with the likes of Daniel Merriweather, Duffy, Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson and the rest, is his interspersing of verses spoken/rapped in his pronounced British accent, much like fellow Brit The Streets.
The album is a concept album, with each track telling different parts of the tail of some Strickland Banks character who gets locked up for a crime he didn't commit. Drew sings in a throaty falsetto, sort of a cross between Terence Trent D'Arby and Smokey Robinson.
"Love goes down" is an incredibly beautiful ballad with sweeping strings, fleeting horns, and lovely harmonies and it's a deadringer for a Motown classic. Upping the tempo are the organ/horn-drenched "Writing's on the wall" and "Stay too long" (with a Rocky Hendrix feel and rapped bridge).
The lovely "She said" is lilting with parping horns and a rapped section, while the ballad "Welcome to hell" (chronicling Banks arrival at prison) sounds rather heavenly, complete with a choir. "The recluse" is upbeat with a dizzying string section, while "Prayin'" and the horn-driven "What you gonna do" (with rapped verses and euphoric sung chorus) are both retro Soul delights, the latter closest in sound to his debut.
Drew handles his translation with much better aplomb than Lil Wayne did, and the album has already topped the UK charts. This is a delightful change in musical direction that is both passionate and beautiful, and which find Drew a major name at the end of the year."
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1