Some of you may not have noticed, but we've had a new follower join in the last week, and Ashley has asked that I review Plan B. I had never heard of him before today, so this is 100% new to me. I know from research that he's British, and they say he's a blend of rapper, singer, songwriter and actor. That's a lot of different hats. Maybe a British version of Drake? Seems the music is sort of like his - where you might call it rap in some cases, but from what I'm hearing on this record, I wouldn't label it strictly hip hop. It's got a blend of pop, a little darker mood music and then a few spots where he flows like a rap album. Not really standard genre fitting though. This album dropped in April in the UK, and it's already platinum. He's got a pretty nice following over there. From what I can gather, Strickland Banks is a fictional character created by Plan B - but really is living a story similar to himself (real name Ben Drew). The lyrics are pretty good if you sit down and pay attention. They might not jump up and punch you in the face - so you actually have to be in listen mode. If you do that, I think you'll be impressed. You know what this album kind of reminds me of? Like a Lenny Kravitz blending styles with Stevie Wonder and singing over an acoustic guitar strummed by Stevie Ray Vaughn. Every so often a track will jump off and go really fast paced, and it works. Arrangement wise, this is really well done. Starts slow, picks up, and goes back and forth over the last few tracks. It's one of those albums that tells a story, and I'm a sucker for those. This is really worth checking out. I think it's got a blend of something for everyone. Happy Monday and welcome Ashley!
TRACK LISTING:
1. Love Goes Down
2. Writing's on the Wall
3. Stay Too Long
4. She Said
5. Welcome to Hell
6. Hard Times
7. Recluse, The
8. Traded in My Cigarettes
9. Prayin'
10. Darkest Place
11. Free
12. I Know a Song
13. What You Gonna Do
Listen To Samples
Top 3 Tracks:
1. Hard Times
2. Love Goes Down
3. Stay Too Long
FINAL RATING:
3.75 out of 5 stars
Appreciate you reviewing this one.
ReplyDeleteHe's relatively new to me too. I heard of him a few months ago and I've been hooked ever since. A Drake comparison? Ha, that's interesting.
"Love Goes Down" I listen to that one almost everyday. "Free" too. I love the melodies and how each note progresses to the next.
I may have another soon, :)
No problem! Thanks for the suggestion!
ReplyDeleteThat's about the only artist I could think of that does all those things. Similar styles too, if Drake wasn't with Young Money, I could see him performing more music like this.
Fantastic, keep 'em coming!