Slime and Reason

Because this is as British as the pints of bitter he referenced on killer breakthrough ‘Witness’ or the cricket whites and village green tranquillity of opening track and second single “Again And Again”, which finds Manuva promising “Again and again we come to improve ya”. Musically, with the assistance of fellow Sheffield studio brain Toddla T and Joe Mount, aka Metronomy, Smith has loosened the production reins a little and the results shine. The playful, organic DIY machine music bubbles into a vibrant brew of soul, reggae, funk - redolent of former collaborators Gorillaz - re-establishing Roots Manuva as the definitive voice of UK hip-hop.

Inevitably, the thin but detailed, wholly accessible sonics, fired by reverberating synths, rebounding beats and a succession of strange samples, found sounds and daft hooks, cannot disguise Smith’s inimitable gruff flow and haunted anxiety at the world’s ills. The archetypal, skanking calypso stroll of “Again And Again” has him lamenting “I’ve seen the future and the culture is corroded”, while a tormented “The Show Must Go On” resounds to the doomed line “Give my love to the children and tell them why I have gone”. His pain is our gain because ‘Slime And Reason’ is Roots Manuva’s best album to date and there’s not a Rolex in sight.