Recorded in an exhausting trans-Atlantic dash, Ms Dynamite’s second album is, in the healthiest sense, an epic. Three years since her debut bagged the Mercury Music Prize, the shell-suit diva has returned with a record that is bigger, steelier and more strident
From its every pore, Judgement Days reeks of ambitions unfulfilled. Ms Dynamite has luxuriated in critical acclaim; now she demands hit singles.
She has been comprehensive in her quest for collaborators to vault her into the bubblegum Babylon of mainstream stardom.
Her stable of hitmakers includes Miami crunk powerhouse Chink, Swedish producer Christian Karlsson (who also writes for Britney) and dance-hall guru Stephen ‘Lenky’ Marsden. Last spring she fetched up in Grouse Lodge studios, Westmeath for a session with Kylie-songwriter Reza Safinia.
Such a roll-call might suggest an ungainly record, weighed down by clashes of mood and style. In fact, Judgement Days, is cohesive and extraordinarily forthright.
Ms Dynamite may have found common cause with the international pop Mafiosi, but this is an LP rooted in specifics, the grime and grey of London’s inner-city.
On the title track, rapping languidly and singing with menace, she addresses those who have sought to take advantage of her fame. Darker still is 'Father' , a bitter tirade against the parent who recently emerged from the woodwork.
She deploys collaborative vocalists sparingly but effectively. Jamaican dancehall MC Assassin adds his motormouth to ‘Not Today’ and Cash Crew member Lil’ Wayne drops blunted vocals on ‘Put Your Gun Away’. Seldom has throwaway pop rung out so defiantly.