The sound of 2000 in the United Kingdom? Two-step garage. And alongside the heavyweights of the genre, MJ Cole and the Artful Dodger crew, was a man named Jason Chue. Who is Jason Chue I hear you ask? Why, Wookie (Chue…Chewie…Chewbacca???? Ah, forget it) who delivered the garage anthem of last year in ‘Battle’.

Championed by DJ’s such as BBC Radio One’s The Dreem Team, and the aforementioned Cole, ‘Battle’ reached the dizzy heights of the UK top ten, and became the next two-step anthem after The Artful Dodger’s ‘Re-rewind’. Now Australians finally get a taste of Wookie’s first longplayer, and it’s a cracker.

Taking Craig David’s advice, let’s ‘Re-rewind’ and kick off a look at Wookie with the album’s closing track. Why this bizarre approach to a review? Well, take a listen to ‘Time’. Smooth grooves, a soulful voice, weird bleepy noises…similar to Soul II Soul. Wonder why? If you read the album’s liner notes you’ll realise that assisting Wookie on his first album is none other than Soul II Soul main man Jazzie B. In fact Jazzie B has been an instrumental figure in the young career of Mr Chue, especially when the collaboration between the pair, the ‘Back to life’ sampling ‘What’s Goin’ On’, hits the speakers.

Old school UK grooves are not the only influence’s on Wookie’s self titled album though. The record passes through r’n’b (Get Enuff), dub (Scrappy), gospel (Time, and Joy My Pride) and string-based soul (Back Up Back Up Back Up).

Apart from being a garage album, the other common thread of the record is vocalist Lain. He lends his voice to four of the album’s key tracks, including Battle. Originally a gospel singer with UK group Nu Colours, Lain’s contribution ensures ‘Wookie’ will sit just as comfortably on the shelf of any self respecting r’n’b fan as it will in the record box of your favourite garage/two-step DJ.

For those of you who enjoyed MJ Cole’s ‘Sincere’ but need a fix of smooth r’n’b as well, then Jason Chue’s first release is just up your alley. Go on, let the Wookie win.

Read: our interview with Wookie here.

BUY: Wookie – Wookie from chaosmusic.com