On Oct. 17, 2006, British grime MC Lady Sovereign made history when her video for "Love Me or Hate Me" reached No. 1 on MTV's Total Request Live (TRL). Whether or not hitting No. 1 on TRL is any indication of musical talent or virtuosity, one has to applaud Sov for good timing. With just one week left before the release of her first full-length, "Public Warning," on Def Jam Records, there couldn't have been a better time for her to become the first British artist to top MTV's chart.
But after roughly two years on the UK grime scene, her once seemingly novel British hip-hop act now appears to have lost momentum, and "Public Warning" shows Sov struggling to find fresh ideas to be made into songs.
The self-proclaimed "biggest midget in the game" seems overly self-cognizant on the first track of her album, "9 to 5." It is a poppy number in which she decries the pressures of a major label debut and the sometimes-unwanted fame that it brings. This subject matter seems all too premature for an artist that has been hardly known outside of indie circles until the aforementioned MTV exposure about a week ago. Despite a viable theme, the song delivers musically with an eclectic breakbeat, horn section and organ. Sov's vocals, too, are impressive when she indulges in the grime pastime of "spitting," or rapping in double time.
"9 to 5" clearly sets a sort of precedent for the rest of "Public Warning;" With a few exceptions, the rest of the album is more or less comprised of tracks pairing similarly entertaining songs with seemingly unnecessary lyrics.
The first of these exceptions is "Random." Having already appeared on 2005's "Vertically Challenged" EP, the song is indicative of Sov's sound, complete with synth plinks and pangs, as well as a contagious droning bass. Most notably, it includes her animated rants on the American rap scene.
Appearing directly after "Random," the title track "Public Warning" is quite good. A varying tempo and instrumentation combined with perhaps Sov's best rap performance thus far make for a potential hit. Except for a slightly annoying chorus, the song is a well-crafted dance track.
Similarly, "A Little Bit of SHHH" combines Sov's superior vocal abilities with fast-paced grime backing. Although the intentional pauses in the song where she engages in fake crowd banter seem a bit kitschy, this track, like "Public Warning," is sure to be a club anthem.
Except for "Fiddle with the Volume," whose corporeal beat combined with Sov's whispering vocals proves hypnotizing, the rest of "Public Warning" seems out of place. "Gatheration" isn't much unlike "Random" in composition, but Sov's vocals are uncharacteristically chill in the former. Instead of her characteristic torrent-like flow of lyrics, she attempts a lesser speed of rapping. Like the guitar solo three minutes into the song, her vocals are unbecoming in this one.
The twee-factor of "Hoodie" and the balladry of "Those Were the Days" simply don't work for Sov, and these tracks that transgress her grime aesthetic are trifling. The Smurfs allusion and lack of profound imagery in the latter makes the song seem cheesy and prepubescent.
Like the connotation of the grime genre to which Sov belongs, her lyrics are uncouth and her style unconventional. Throughout "Public Warning," she rhymes crudely about all sorts of subject matter, such as her disaffection with English royalty on "My England," or her contempt for current girls' fashion on "Tango" and "Hoodie." Whereas these tirades would otherwise seem like insightful social commentaries, her lack of eloquence makes them seem trite.
Sov has a bit more growing up to do. While she has all the surface qualities of a great rapper, her debut LP lacks substance. Although Sov ought to be praised for her rough frankness, the same crudeness is holding her back from truly influential art. While "Public Warning" may, at times, disappoint lyrically, it will most likely quickly become a club favorite for its energetic, well-paced music.
