aaamusic | On 02, Nov 2011

Roots Manuva
‘Here We Go Again’ feat. Spikey Tee
Big Dada
December 4

“An album that’s contemplative, insightful and filled with a beleaguered sense of the hard-scrabble nature of contemporary life” – The Guardian, 4/5

“Not many albums this year will be as jaw-droppingly good” – Loud & Quiet, 9/10

“Might be his best yet… a capitivating album with bass at its heart.” – Mixmag, 4/5

“Ups the stakes with boundary-stretching pop… he’s certainly never sounded so sharp” – Q, 4/5

“Contemplative yet hugely enjoyable… gritty yet gently humorous… hugely impressive” – The Times 4/5

“His best album yet” – The Sunday Times

“Everything on this album seems to burst with brilliant vitality” – Metro, 5/5, Album of the Week

Roots Manuva returns with a new single and it’s one of the standout cuts from the acclaimed ‘4everevolution’, the brooding, magnificent ‘Here We Go Again’.

Over an intense, thunderous collision of hip hop, techno and dubstep, Rodney Smith aka Roots Manuva drops lyrics about an old friendship gone bad: “something in his life isn’t right with him/ He’s caught up in the hype and it bites within.” A clear-eyed, deadpan exposition of the dangers, temptations and, more cuttingly, childishness of “street life,” Smith is keen to emphasise he isn’t preaching. Everything he says applies to himself as much as anyone else and a fate he avoided more through luck than judgement. The tune is finished off perfectly by a pure, soulful chorus from Spikey Tee.

Spikey Tee was originally part of seminal British hip-hop-ragga-soul collective the Sindecut (Virgin Records), but these days is better well known for his work with Mr Scruff, Jah Wobble, Sola Rosa and Bomb The Bass. Now based in Australia he works on occasion with up and coming producer Dizz1. When Dizz1 played him the beat for “Here We Go Again” he immediately told him it was perfect for Roots Manuva. A few emails and phonecalls later and the tune began to come together, a mixture of menace and beauty which, in its grace and the urgency of its message, shows an artist as relevant as ever.

Remixes for the single come from UK Black Music veteran Dobie (two versions, aimed at the “Mosh Pit” and “Smoky Backroom”), hotly-tipped grime producer Preditah and man of the moment, Falty DL. But as ever, it’s the calm authority and intelligence of Roots Manuva’s voice which will stay with the listener.

Roots Manuva – ‘Here We Go Again’ by Big Dada Sound

 

Roots Manuva will be touring in 2012:

26/01 – The Arches – Glasgow
27/01 – The Ritz – Manchester
28/01 – Met Uni – Leeds
30/01 – HMV Institute – Birmingham
31/01 – Concorde – Brighton
01/02 – Waterfront – Norwich
03/02 – Anson Rooms – Bristol
04/02 – The Roundhouse – London