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6 out of 10
Everyone knows about Leeds' rock and indie alumni, but it's not really very well know for its hip-hop scene, is it? The less said about Yes Boss the better. That's where Breaking The Illusion come in with their "hip-hop, non-stop rock revolution" (As they call it on 'Big') come in. Like The Roots or Roni Sizes' Reprazent, the four piece are a live band - guitar, bass, drums and a rapper - and have notched up three MOBO nominations and won the approval of two of Radio 1's cool people, Huw Stephens and Mary Anne Hobbes. But the rock/rap combo has a mixed history, there's the good stuff like Rage Against The Machine, Public Enemy's collaboration with Anthrax, and Aerosmith with Run DMC, but then there's the whole of nu metal that tips the balance. On the British scene there's been less crosspollination but alongside BTI, who on the whole manage to carry off their version of hip-hop-rock with plenty of attitude, there's the Hertfordshire blues-hop mob Fugazi Rum whose sound is an extension of BTI's Jurassic 5-inflected 'Sweet Talk' and 'She Don't Want You (No More)' - which is a moody, bluesy make over of The Streets' 'Fit But You Know It'. On the moody, war 'n' crime fest 'Squaddies' Holiday' they neatly name drop Mike Skinner, so they know the lineage they're a part of. The sun kissed, reggae soul pair of 'Oh BTI!' and 'Mr. Bouncer' are festival hits waiting to happen, while 'My City' with its chubby bass squelch and proto-Timbaland production is an actual chart hit waiting to happen. Those are the real highlights and signs of originality, but 'Mixed Messages' isn't without its clichés. 'Girlwatcher' and 'DMMK' (Which stands for drugs, money, murder, kill) flirt with thuggish gangsta-isms and nu-metal brute force too closely. Then there are the compulsory reflective songs that too often blight British hip-hop records as well, 'Wasted Life' and the smalchy 'Reflections'. With 'Mixed Messages', Breaking The Illusion are about five songs away from being vital, as it is there a few clichés too many. Listen: www.myspace.com/breakingtheillusion
Tracklist:
1. Intro 2. Big 3. She Don't Want You (No More) 4. Oh BTI! 5. Sweet Talk 6. Girlwatcher 7. Mr. Bouncer 8. Nobody Likes Me. 9. My City 10. Squaddies' Holiday 11. DMMK 12. Lucky Thing 13. Wasted Life 14. Reflections 15. A Simple Plan
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