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2 out of 10
Elton John states that Tupac and Kanye West were only two artists he'd let sample his records and 'that says everything about how much I rate Ironik'. Well good on you Elton, good on you; even though it isn't strictly true. Off the top my head I can think of various songs with Elton John samples, as well as dozens of legitimate covers.
On the topic of covers, I wasn't even a particularly big fan of Dave Grohl's cover of 'Tiny Dancer'. Dave Grohl's cover of this however, was at least heart felt, well sang and true to the original. See, I believe the point of a cover is to add something to a track that the original lacked, a seasoning of sorts, something that will set it apart, bring it to a new audience, transcend genre or indeed in this case modernise it.
Well then, we seem to have a problem. At what point did someone, genuinely think, that Elton John's timeless, awe-inspiring and beloved 'Tiny Dancer' could be improved on? I mean, clearly someone did! We have this cancer of a record to prove it. Somewhere someone thought; 'You know who didn't nail 'Tiny Dancer'? That Elton John'. 'Yeah, needs more rapping doesn't it'? 'Yeah, needs an urban vibe, that'll really bring it into 2009''.
The weirdest thing however is that the sample from said classic 70's rock ballad doesn't even work in the track. It simply doesn't scan. It's sped up slightly to enable it to fit in with Ironik and Chipmunk's lyrical 'flo', but it just sounds as though it's been haplessly and carelessly forced in, like body builder in a baby gro.
The rest of the track though is OK, the verse I mean. It's your standard R&B / grime affair with the two MCs rhyming each other off (lol) and it works well. It's all pretty slick, ticks the boxes and does the job but then before you know it, it's that chorus again. Totally unnecessary.
I've heard a lot about Chipmunk and actually quite liked his first single. I'm also not hugely surprised to see him feature on a pre-fabricated sure fire top 5; Ironik however I know less about, though according to his press release he has got over 100 thousand friends on myspace. So good for him.
Next up: Stairway to heaven featuring Flo-Rida.
Listen: www.myspace.com/djironik
Tracklist:
1. Tiny Dancer
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