(Big Dada/Shock)

Even if its release last year wasn’t quite greeted by the sort of commercial unit-shifting success that might perhaps have been expected, Roots Manuva’s third artist album ‘Awfully Deep’ confirmed his ongoing status at the top of the UK hiphop pile, Mr. Smith’s verbal depiction of the highs and often psychologically-sapping lows he’s experienced over the last few years being critically lauded in virtually all corners. Upon completing ‘Awfully Deep’, Roots apparently found himself with around 30 finished tracks; a situation that left him in something of a bind as he was determined to restrict the album’s running time to 12 or 13 tracks. That’s where ‘Alternately Deep’ comes in, acting as a companion record to that album, whilst also going considerably deeper than Roots’ previous ‘Dub Come Save Me’ remix excursion, as its tracklisting is predominately composed of completely new tracks, alongside a selection of B-sides, reworkings and download-only tracks. In many senses, it’s arguable that ‘Alternately Deep’ sits closer to being a completely new Roots Manuva album than simply a parenthetical release, a claim that’s more than backed up by the quality of the contents on offer.

Opening track ‘No Love’ (previously released as the B-side to ‘Too Cold’) begins things on a booming, a vast bassy synth-heavy backing wrapping itself around chunky programmed hiphop beats as Roots faces off against haters both real and imagined, “shaking his tush to the pictures and the music” with a tangible sense of jaded cynicism at the travails involved with fame and ‘the industry’, describing himself as “the black George Clooney” in one verse and “the boy in the corner getting steadily caned” in another. ‘Seat Yourself’ makes an appearance in previously-unreleased ‘Miami mix’ form, vaguely Bollywood-sounding orchestral tones sweeping through a dense backing of massive dubbed-out hiphop beats, vast sub-bass drops and squalling bursts of guitar feedback, with Ricky Ranking joining Roots on the mic for a gravelly dancehall-influenced chorus section and additional ragga toasting, before ‘Double Drat’ shifts things towards rolling dancehall-tinged synth-heavy funk, lithe Latin polyrhythms and clavinet notes providing a fluid backing for Roots’ distinctive tones in one of this album’s most laidback, breezy inclusions.

Previously-unreleased new track ‘Get U High’ was personally my highlight of this entire collection, with burbling synthetic opening bleeps swiftly giving way to a synth-heavy bassy hiphop backing that’s a close cousin to ‘Witness (1 Hope)’, crisp programmed snares clicking their way around eerie, floaty retro horror-movie organs and squelching bass drops as Mr. Manuva navigates his verbally-fluid way through, while the inclusion of a previously unreleased edit of Jammer’s ‘remix and revox’ of ‘Colossal Insight’ introduces a welcome grime-influenced touch, Root’s adeptly cut-up vocals riding a metallic-edged backing of clattering broken beats and vast sweeping synthetic bass drops as Jammer adds his own patois-drenched ragga chat during the swaggering chorus sections. Previously-unreleased track ‘This World Is Mine’ meanwhile features the production input of frequent Roots collaborator Wayne ‘Lotek Hifi’ Bennett and takes things towards the heart of the dub-chamber, with an immense rippling bass section that practically breathes making its way beneath Roots’ and Bennett’s own duelling verses (“don’t waste your time / don’t come here with your bluffing) as King Tubby-esque dubbed-out horns and swaggering lovers’ rock-tinged guitar fragments drift through the vast, echoing rhythms, before previously-unreleased closing track ‘Grown Man’ takes this collection out with one of its most intriguing inclusions, fluid turntable scratches and skipping, jazz-inflected hiphop beats fusing perfectly with a vast cinematic instrumental backdrop that fuses brooding strings and what sounds like Middle-Eastern folk music samples in a manner that proves to work perfectly, building an evocative sense of slow-burning atmosphere that beautifully counterpoints Roots’ lazily almost-crooned chorus vocals.

‘Alternately Deep’ is an excellent companion release to ‘Awfully Deep’ that’s more or less an essential acquisition for anyone who enjoyed that aforementioned album, and indeed it’s so strong a package that it would stand perfectly on its own as a completely new Roots Manuva artist album, such is the quality and thematic cohesiveness of the twelve mostly previously unreleased tracks gathered here. While it’s perhaps not quite as storming as a whole as last year’s stunning ‘Awfully Deep’, I think most people would admit that’s something of a tall order. While Mr. Smith has certainly had some trying times from the sounds of things alongside the critical plaudits in recent years, from the evidence on display on ‘Alternately Deep’, right now, he’s clearly on top of his game.

Check out http://www.rootsmanuva.co.uk and http://www.bigdada.com.