As someone who had heard several of Dave's songs over the years before this album, I was excited to listen to his newest offering, and he did not disappoint. Dave is, without question, one of the greatest lyricists in the industry right now. I am not someone who can catch bars quickly; typically, it takes me multiple listens to understand, but on this album, there were several times when I found myself making weird noises after I understood the bar.
History – 10
175 Months – 10
No Weapons – 10
Chapter 16 – 8
Raindance – 9
Selfish – 10
My 27th Birthday – 9
Marvellous – 9
Fairchild – 9
The Boy Who Played the Harp – 10
All features add a great new layer to the album, from Dave's strong southern London accent. Jim Legxacy's feature in Weapons and James Blake's double feature are some of the standouts. Yet on the songs without any features, they still feel perfect, great balance.
Dave conveys a range of emotions as he reflects on being forgotten and on managing life as a young black man in the United Kingdom. Nicole Blakk in Fairchild is a chilling reality of how women feel in today's society—a great song with Nicole bringing real emotion to her delivery, highly recommend this one. This song reflects the overall emotional feel of this album —an album of deep meaning, entwined with upbeat, groovy hooks and melodies. This is a feeling I would come to expect after listening to other Dave songs over the years.
Some songs feel a bit too long for this album, and, as with most albums of this calibre, I wish it had more songs.
Final Thoughts
For those unfamiliar with Dave, they will surely see him much clearer now as he proves why he is the best in the UK with an exceptional fourth studio album.