Mattafix - Signs of a Struggle

1. Gangster Blues
2. Big City Life
3. Passer By
4. To & Fro
5. Everyone Around You
6. Clear and Present Danger
7. Older
8. I To You
9. Impartial
10. The Means
11. 1130
12. Forgotten
13. 555
14. Cool Down The Place

I don't think there is enough good that can be said about this album. It was recommended to me by none other than Prem a while back and it's been in the car ever since. It consists of 2 people (just in case you can't see that in the album cover), both from the UK. 1 guy does the singing, and the other does the production. Well, that's the biography out the way, so moving on. The music itself is hard to put into a genre (which is the case with a lot of music seeing how organizing into genre's is so person-specific) but according to Wikipedia (thank God for Wikipedia, it really does have everything) it's a mix of hip hop, soul, reggae and some shit called dancehall (I can't say I've heard of that one, but if Wikipedia said it, it's probably true). Genre's aside, this is one of the most refreshing albums out there. The amount of variation from track to track is nothing short of amazing, and just in case the beats weren't different enough, the vocals are mixed up once in a while too; a very nice touch. Personal favourites are Gangster Blues, Big City Life, Impartial, The Means, and 555 (555 is nice because it features the tabla skills of Talvin Singh, and it's always cool to hear a tabla master at work). What's impressive about these 2 artists is the breadth of music from which they get their inspiration. The lead singer being of Caribbean descent, and the producer being of Indian descent, the extent of knowledge they have on the music of different cultures is excellent and this definetly manifests itself throughout the album. For any of you looking for something different and above all, refreshing, you'll need to look no further than Signs of a Struggle. Enjoy.

References:
- Wikipedia (see, I cite my sources too, just to keep the English professors happy)

Torrents:
- Demonoid (registered only)
- Torrentspy
- Isohunt