Upwards

Second album from the Roots Manuva man that not enough people know about. Coming across like a cleaner, less grimy version of Roots, Ty’s got a voice and a flow it’s difficult to get sick of. The UK veteran draws from soul, funk and a dash of Afrobeat, and, even though the lyrics are a tad less insightful than the debut, there’s an effective combination of party joints (‘Ha Ha’, ‘Wait A Minute’, the 80s funk-tinged ‘Groovement’) and more insightful numbers (the soulful, epic ‘Rain’, the excellent Afrobeat-y protest song ‘The Willing’, the swoonsome soul of ‘Dream’). Also name checks Ronnie Whelan for some reason. Extra point.