(Inertia)

Grass… mostly known for watering, mowing, smoking and occasionally frolicking on in the nude. Up until now, however, I have never considered listening to it, but when the grass is Black, one listen and you may never go back.

So who or what is Black Grass? Well it is a Hip Hop album but some tracks are not, it is undeniably beat driven but all vocal performances are spot on, it is basically the meeting of two undoubtedly creative minds Mex and Carl. Mex from Fulham is a man with Hip Hop taste buds while Carl is ten years younger and comes complete with a background of Drum & Bass and Nu Jazz but when they combine their talents the results speak for themselves.

Opening with Grass Roots, the album gets off to a flyer, the beat is broken and up-tempo but wit huge string and horn sections looped all over it to create a tight track that can work on a dancefloor or just force your head into a nod as you drive along. Track 2 many will be familiar with thanks to JJJ as Easy, featuring the cockney sounds of the one and only Blak Twang, an MC with some tight skills who I would love to see in a cockney off with Dizee Rascal. Although it would probably require subtitles for the general public, but I digress.

The middle section of the album is damn smooth tracks like Going Home and Nice Up. They would work in a house or breaks set, and when put with the tight Hip Hop featured make you think about how diverse the talents of Black Grass are.

But anyone who has read my reviews (someone, anyone?) will know Hip Hop is my first love and the second half of the album is where it’s at. Whether it be the straight up New York flow of Super Tc Iz over a perfectly crafted track, the wicked flow of Maylay Sparks with his Self Assessment or the smooth hooks of sometime Nelly collaborator (Come on you can forgive him) Ra Khahn funking up The Finest Thing all impress and when combined with Blak Twang’s earlier effort had me coming back for more.

The album is diverse as the crowd at the Big Day Out yet none of the tracks fall short of the mark in their genre. From Breaks to House, UK Garage to the star of the show Hip Hop there is a little something for everyone and all in all a wicked debut from two extremely talented gentlemen. Black Grass destined to be associated with more than the aftermath of a bushfire for a long while to come.