Album Review: Lethal Dialect – LD50 Part 3

Paul Alwright (aka Lethal Dialect) released his spoken word poem ‘To Whom It May Concern’ the day before the general election, with a simple direction: vote left.

Representing the under-represented has been part of the Dublin rapper’s ethos since 2010, when he began writing LD50 (Part 1). Alwright has always tried to understand and humanise people through his art, which remains the case on the final installment in his trilogy.
The album was initially intended to be less foreboding than the first. Unfortunately, power structures didn’t topple as planned in the decade between parts one and three. Thus, what was meant to be a goodbye to an era of oppression has morphed into a record of stark, beautifully crafted rap, backed by lo-fi beats and minimalist guitar.

Like its predecessor on LD50 Part 2, ‘Get To My Dreams Part 2’ has a distinctive R&B hook, but it’s a considerably more hopeful track. It features lines like, “I don’t want to just survive/ I want to actually try/ So fuck it/ I want my hands on the prize.” Elsewhere, Lethal Dialect also sings “Dreams are all I have”. Indeed, dreams are all anyone has. It’s a stunning end to a superb album.

8/10

Out now.