Artist: Plan B
Title: The Defamation Of Strickland Banks
Label: 679 Recordings
Genre: Pop
Bitrate: 183kbit av.
Time: 00:50:01
Size: 69.23 mb
Rip Date: 2010-04-12
Str Date: 2010-04-12
01. Love Goes Down 3:52
02. Writing's On The Wall 3:42
03. Stay Too Long 3:44
04. She Said 3:31
05. Welcome To Hell 4:32
06. Hard Times 3:57
07. The Recluse 3:19
08. Traded In My Cigarettes 4:15
09. Prayin' 3:47
10. Darkest Place 4:20
11. Free 3:42
12. I Know A Song 3:10
13. What Yo Gonna Do 4:10
Release Notes:
Plan B, or Ben Drew to avoid confusion with the various other Plan Bs
in operation, first emerged to the mainstream in 2006 with the album
Who Needs Actions When You Got Words. The Forest Gate fox set out his
stall as a Ц putting it mildly Ц angry issues-based young man in thrall
to Eminem, and would probably have had your eye out if you so much as
looked as him funny. This led to an acting sideline in Noel ClarkeТs
Adulthood, as well as a star turn in last yearТs Harry Brown.
Now, a few years on, our Ben has calmed down a bit and returned with a
concept album (an accompanying film is in production) that should
finally get him known past the gritty urban set, ascending to the
national consciousness. The Defamation of Strickland Banks is a
story-based soul-up volte-face about a man being wrongly sent dahn, and
an album that will see Drew added to the list of artists whoТve
delivered not-bad debuts, but amazing follow-ups.
A genuine great leap forward, Defamation is a cracker. The two
breakthrough singles lead from the front Ц Stay Too Long manages to
combine the urgency of northern soul with the giddiness of DrewТs
breathless rap delivery, and the catchier She Said is a welcome
addition to daytime radio. Elsewhere, on Welcome to Hell he trills like
a scared-to-pick-up-the-soap-in-the-prison-shower Smokey Robinson,
while Hard Times and Love Goes Down are just lovely Ц anyone operating
in the greasy world of pop would give a limb for such songs. PrayinТ
could give Amy Winehouse a run for her old soul beehive, and her recent
work hovers over most of the arrangements and styles Ben decides to
lend his ASBO soul revue. ThereТs a bit more swearing though, just in
case you thought he'd gone totally soft.
Defamation is a great little album which could steer Drew towards being
one of the yearТs biggest pop stars, and further onto realising his
film ambitions. Or, perhaps this is just a side-step for him, and heТll
go krautrock on album three. No matter, if this hasnТt shifted the best
part of a million by 2010Тs end, then IТll despair. I really will.
Tremendous work.
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