Take one part grime, one part jazz, and one part hip-hop, put them in a shaker and what you get is London EmCee Speech Debelle, the UK’s next first lady.
Speech Debelle is set to release her debut album, Speech Therapy, on August 18th on Ninja Tune/Big Dada. I was able to get a promo copy of it, and from the very first song I was hooked.
What caught my attention was the production work. Her tracks were very jazzy mixed with the right amount of hip hop. Using a gracious amount of piano, guitar and bass, her track brings a fresh sound to my ears. But with any EmCee, the skillz are really in the words, and she does not fail.
Speech Debelle’s voice is very youthful and fun with the right amount of edge (think of the lighter side of grime)that will let her compete with her male counterparts. Listening to her rhymes, they are smart and intelligent. If you want to hear what I mean by that, check out the track “Daddy’s Little Girl” where she faces some dark demons of her past.
While listening to the album, I couldn’t help but think about the Hip Hop group Digable Planets. The female emcee (Mary Ann “Ladybug Mecca” Vieira) in that trio has the same type of flow and style, not to mention their production work sounds similar. (check out the album Blowout Comb)
The first single from the album is “Searching,” which is this simple jazzy drum beat with an upright bass leading the way. Personally, compared the other tracks, this one doesn’t really give you the full version of Speech Debelle. If you really want to see what this lady can do check out the the tracks “Spinnin” and “The Key.” These two tracks are a throwback to the early 90’hip hop sound which is timeless and true. Other ones to check out are “Wheels in Motion” which has a guest appearance from fellow label-mate Roots Manuva.
Overall I’d have to say that this is one of my new favorite albums, and that I highly recommend you check it out when it comes out.
EnjoY!