February 23rd 2009 sees the release of the latest album from Ashley Walters. The self titled release is his first under this moniker having previously gone under the (stolen) name Asher D.
Walking a line that is surely intended to draw fans from his garage days, the Grime and Hip Hop scenes and the radio listeners Ashley has invited relevant guests along for the ride: Chipmunk, Sway, Durrty Goodz, Ghetts (Ghetto) and Nolay provide verses, Joe Buhdah, Baby J, Scandalous, Maniac, Terror Danjah, Swindle and others supply beats and Mutya Buena, Ebru and Elrae provide sung vocals. Even Ashley’s two sons and daughters pitch in for the sympathy vote!
Most tracks sit well together but tracks like ‘Whoa pt. 2’ seem incongruous – the downside to trying to appeal to everyone. ‘Stress Filled Days’ and ‘Generations’ are an example of a more mature and responsible outlook.
The better tracks lie at each end of the album, sandwiching a few weaker tracks. However, someone reading this will probably only enjoy those four tracks so the wide target audience stunt may be a successful ploy.
Ashley Walters featuring Mutya Buena? I’m not gonna like that am I?! Well actually, I was pleasantly surprised. Whilst I wouldn’t consider myself a fan of either artists, I approached this with nigh on a closed mind and it managed to prise the gates to my psyche open enough to squeeze its way in.
It’s Swindle’s production that really does it for me here – the piano-led, modern gentle funk flavoured backing drew me in. Ashley is a skilled writer and his delivery is extremely on point.
Beyond the typical boy/girl playoff this actually has a bearable sentiment – one usually sickeningly sweetened by everyday popsters (like Sugababes!). Ashley has a mature and positive outlook on relationships and fatherhood and on a serious note; it’s one that many people need to hear.
‘With You’ is released on the 18th Januray on download and it’s CD release date is the 25th. ‘With You’ is taken from ‘The Album’ which is due for release on February 23rd on Abstract Urban.
Baby J has rapidly become well known in Hip Hop, mainly in the UK but as a result of working with Wu-Affiliate Shabazz the Disciple, Brand Nubian and Dead Prez and others there are some in the US who will also know his name. His knack for sampling already insanely catchy songs and matching them up to MC's and singers who are actually decent has seen him score a few successes. 'Young, Gifted & Black' featuring Dynamite MC got loads of Radio 1 airplay, he produced a good few tracks on Skinnyman's album debut 'Council Estate of Mind' and entirely produced Blade's last ever album 'Guerrilla Tactics'. He has had two great 'Mixtapes' (F.T.P. & FTP2: Fight The Power) that are really more like production albums featuring the likes of Fallacy, Mr Ti2bs, Rukus, Yogi, Ty, Klashnekoff, A-Alikes and Moorish Delta 7 as well as others.
Now, Baby J has 'Fix The Problem: FTP The Mixtape pt.2' which slightly confused me because I didn't even know the first one existed (it does, it's called 'For The People: FTP The Mixtape' and if anyone wants to send me a copy, be my guest). Anyway, 'Fix The Problem' seems to follow along the lines of the first mixtape in that it's got hundreds of tracks, each one a verse from a different rapper.
Actually it's got 'MORE THEN 60 OF THE WORLDS BEST BLACK MUSIC ARTISTS, PERFORMING OVER BABY J'S GREATEST INSTRUMENTALS' - and this is where I take my only issue with this CD. In that one sentence, emblazoned (well not quite, but it's there) across the front there are 2 errors that annoy me and something else that just nags me. First, 'MORE THEN' - it's 'More than' and secondly, 'WORLDS BEST' when it should have an apostrophe - 'World's best'. Now I know that sounds fussy but if you want to be professional, spelling and grammar is important. The third thing that gets my goat is 'BLACK MUSIC ARTISTS'. I don't like that as an umbrella name for Hip Hop, Grime, R'n'B and whatever else it encompasses, especially when half of the folks on here are white! Gripe done.
It's a great collection of guest verses (there are 65 tracks/verses) from the likes of Million Dan, Jehst, Shameless, Brotherman, Asher D, Young Max, Yungun and Dynamite MC and obviously, a flippin' truckload more. Consider this a starter course for Baby J's 'Baby Food' album, scheduled to drop in October.
The big single off 'Baby Food' is 'Lies', a simplistic track that features Asher D (going by his real name - Ashley Walters - trying to shake off the old So Solid/jailed for gun crime associations?). For you Americans, he's the guy who played one of Marcus's mates in 50 Cent's 'Get Rich or Try Dying' film (y'know he got shot and was in hospital and that). It also features UK R'nB 'sensation' Nathan. It's a really catchy,insanely radio friendly, modern sounding piece of slick UK Hip Hop; it's destined to attract teenyboppers/radio listeners and props to Baby for that! It's got a nice, light summery vibe to it too; it'll be unoffensive to your ears as you sit back in your hammock this August.
Check back here in the autumn/fall for a review of 'Baby Food'. As a fan who has actually bought his previous work (Gasp! People buy music?!), I'm really looking forward to it especially since I know it's going to feature guests old and new: Million Dan and Farma G (of Task Force) being my most anticipated collaborations!
February 23rd 2009 sees the release of the latest album from Ashley Walters. The self titled release is his first under this moniker having previously gone under the (stolen) name Asher D.
Stumble It!
