STORMZY 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: You can't have missed the hype surrounding Stormzy's new full-length - it's one of the most hotly-anticipated albums of the year. The question is: has it delivered on the promise? Yes - and then some. The grime superstar recorded the set on location with an extended group of trusted collaborators - Ms Banks, Sampha, Black Sherif, Debbie, Jacob Collier and NAO included - and the results are more sonically beautiful and soulful than much of his previous output. The distinctive flows are still there, though the subjects covered are often more personal and thoughtful than some may have expected, but Stormzy sings as much as he raps, and the accompany beats - often laden in strings, jazzy guitar flourishes and warming electric piano - are informed as much by R&B and hip-hop as the grizzled, sub-heavy East London vibes of grime.

Review: Stormzy has risen up from being one of the baddest underground mic men on the streets of London to pretty much being a national treasure all before he is thirty. He is a grime pin-up who has helped establish the genre on the world stage but who has also moved on from it in recent times. He has proven himself to be as able to open his heart and sing tender tones as spit about spats with Wiley. His dazzling wordsmithery, unrestrained attacks on the British government and support from disadvantaged young Black people have made him the voice of a generation and we are lucky to have him. This new album finds him opening his heart and being more honest and vulnerable than ever.

Review: Released right at the very end of 2019, Stormzy's much-trumpeted second album, "Heavy Is The Head", is one of the most significant releases in recent times. Made with a gigantic cast list of producers and guest vocalists - Aitch, Burna Boy, Headie One, H.E.R, Tiana Major9, Yebba, Fred Gibson and MJ Cole included - the set includes some of his most thoughtful and incisive lyrics to date, as well as some particularly ear-catching mutations of grime that will further solidify his place as one of Britain's most important artists of the 21st century. Yes, it does include more nods towards pop music - he's a Glastonbury headliner after all - but the beats remain tough.