ALBUM REVIEWS
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ALBUM REVIEWS |
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Man Like Me – MAN LIKE ME
Man Like Me – MAN LIKE ME OUR TIME RECORDS 11.5.09 @www.vanguard-online.co.uk
Hands up – I am yet again guilty of judging an album by its cover. I can’t help it – the whole idea of an album cover is to give a suggestion of what’s inside… it turns out that I just keep misunderstanding their meaning. Take Man Like Me’s eponymous debut album. On the front (of the promo copy at least) is a bloke wearing a shiny shirt, top button fastened, with a chunky silver chain over it. Instantly thoughts turn to chavs and ludicrous songs about bitches and bling for the 1Xtra-demographic. But in reality what I found was a collection of surprisingly clever and, at times insightful, tracks centred on the same ideas – drinking and women – but with layers of meaning. Don’t get me wrong – this is still essentially a rap/hip-hop (or whichever variant is best used to describe it these days) album, but to pigeonhole it in this way seems a little unfair. “London Town” (my personal highlight), for example, tells the tale of an artist who made it big in 1999 with a club anthem that got airplay everywhere and allowed him to play to stadiums full of people. Now, sadly, he’s playing to small groups in Butlins. Man Like Me cleverly incorporate elements of the garage/grime sound that the song is about into the track as it moves through to the present day, bringing together several different musical styles as one. When you listen to the chorus, think back to 2001’s “Do You Really Like It?” by DJ Pied Piper & the Masters of Ceremonies and you’ll see what I mean. “Single Dad” – seemingly the hook song that gets you into the album – is another case in point. Its chorus, with a distinctive horn accompaniment, undermines the seriousness with which the narrator is telling the story of getting a girl pregnant; after all, as the narrator points out, he ‘should have taken more precautions’. It also discusses the way in which ‘single dad’ has become a label, and the consequences of its use. Hardly typical material for this genre. It’s easy to find peers for Man Like Me – The Streets are the immediate choice (in fact, Mike Skinner would do well to look at what he’s become and head back down the route that Man Like Me are re-treading), while it’s worth also considering Goldie Lookin’ Chain for their double-meanings and self-deprecating humour. Ultimately, Man Like Me are strong enough to stand up on their own, but it remains to be seen whether the radio playlist selectors get the joke… www.myspace.com/manlikeme |
