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9.0
32537
9.0 |
BBC
This outstanding long-player is, by some distance, his best yet, combining the squelchy beats and Brit-Jamaican humour he is known for with a musical eclecticism and experimental joy that is entirely new
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8.0
32403
8.0 |
Q
Never sounded so sharp. Print edition only
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8.0
32729
8.0 |
The Scotsman
Creatively he is still the artist to beat
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8.0
32785
8.0 |
Drowned In Sound
Intense, cutting and clever, this is an album that unfolds at a near blistering pace. Roots Manuva just keeps on delivering
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8.0
32920
8.0 |
All Music
Shows he can still summarize the state of the nation more succinctly in one line that most MCs half his age manage over the course of an entire album
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8.0
32394
8.0 |
Clash
The full Rodney Smith repertoire of street spirit and characteristic wordplay working over binary-crushing grime beats
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8.0
32395
8.0 |
The Skinny
A few of cuts might fade to the back of the mind after a listen, but that’s only because the rest are so very fine
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8.0
32401
8.0 |
Mojo
A tidy summation of Manuva's myriad moods, it plays almost like a greatest hits set Print edition only
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8.0
32506
8.0 |
The Irish Times
Throughout, it’s Smith’s superb observations and smart wordflows that keep 4everevolution swinging throughout its wide-ranging 17 tracks
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8.0
32509
8.0 |
The Independent
It's a more considered and persuasive analysis than most of his younger, grimier peers can offer
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8.0
32516
8.0 |
The Guardian
There's an impressive range of styles here
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8.0
33419
8.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
It’s a veritable treasure chest of an album, an embarrassment of riches proving that one of the UK’s longest-serving rappers is also one of its most vital and relevant
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7.5
33016
7.5 |
The 405
Still a musical force to be reckoned with, capable of delivering a sonic surprise or two
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7.0
32493
7.0 |
The AU Review
A sign that British hip-hop is still completely relevant and thriving today
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7.0
33443
7.0 |
Rave Magazine
It shoots off in all directions in a way that makes it less immediately satisfying than a lot of his previous music, but still worth sticking with
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7.0
32531
7.0 |
NME
Smith continues to avoid the genre's default Americanisms
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7.0
32548
7.0 |
The Fly
Not on groundbreaking form, but fun nonetheless
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6.0
32608
6.0 |
The Observer
Not all of 4everevolution shines – tracks such as "First Growth" feel like Manuva by numbers – but there are some gems here
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6.0
32428
6.0 |
The Digital Fix
Sprawling and overlong, yet still containing hints as to why Roots is a national treasure
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6.0
32488
6.0 |
Daily Telegraph
Voicing socially aware hip hop and outré electro-disco, all with an eloquence which often eludes the newer generation.
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6.0
32990
6.0 |
Evening Standard
The gravel-voiced 39-year-old proves more than capable of showing the young bucks a clean pair of heels
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6.0
32402
6.0 |
Uncut
Lacks the decisive sonic focus his fierce and funny lyrical barbs deserve. Print edition only
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6.0
33559
6.0 |
The Quietus
If on the whole 4everevolution is a bit of a mess, at least by Roots own exceptionally high standards, it's an endearingly honest mess. Loveable even
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6.0
34102
6.0 |
State
There are a few missteps, but with 17 tracks there’s always something decent around the corner
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6.0
34137
6.0 |
PopMatters
Offers tight grooves, adequate rhymes, and inherent spottiness
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6.0
34589
6.0 |
PopMatters
An evolutionary step in which he launches himself in a pile of new directions that should make for compelling future listens
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6.0
33176
6.0 |
musicOMH
A multi-faceted, varied album that will not please all the people all of the time
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5.0
34144
5.0 |
Blurt
Manuva's British-meets-Caribbean sensibility sounds new and refreshing at first. But when played over the course of the entire record, it begins to lose some of its luster
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