Tairrie B.

My Ruin – Declaration of Resistance

Posted on by edwardlayland

This year has begun with party goers gleefully filming what would become a fatal blaze killing 40, while the president of the United States has illegally orchestrated an invasion of a smaller, weaker country that happens to have a lot of oil. There is clearly something very wrong with the world. We need people to speak out, we need people to question, we need people to use their platforms to help us wake the fuck up and smell the rancid coffee of the god awful, social media obsessed, post-truth, broligarchical world that we live in.

We need people like Tairrie B and Mick Murphy. We need bands like My Ruin. 

After a ten year hiatus, My Ruin are back, and Tairrie B. Murphy is angrier than ever. And rightfully so. Although My Ruin were on hold, Tairrie’s been busy with politically charged hip hop albums and the joyful rock n roll of SWTEVL with husband Mick. However, it is as My Ruin that their creativity really resonates, bringing together all the elements that are evident in their multiple side projects – it’s metal, it’s punk, it’s hardcore, it’s hip hop, it’s every part of who they are and what they are capable of. And the new album, Declaration of Resistance, does not disappoint, sounding urgent and fresh while rooted in the old school; it makes for an essential listen in the current political climate.

The album kicks off with the first single, Compromised, and right from the word go, the ominous riffing sets out the stall while Tairrie screams salvos like “A hollow oath with immunity; A cult of chaos and vanity; Malignant pig and fascist muse; Definition of waste, fraud and abuse; Persona non grata there is no doubt; About the man who sold America out“, making it clear that they are pulling no punches and giving no fucks. In the current oppressive climate, it’s a brave but much needed move.

The blows keep coming with second single Audacity, which burns a little slower in a controlled, but hard-hitting protest, using Tairrie’s vocal versatility to celebrate the power of female voices in a nod to their own feminist anthem Beauty Fiend.  

The current version of My Ruin has been stripped down to Tairrie and husband Mick, who not only plays everything but also co-produces and engineers the record, and, is absolutely on fire throughout. The guitar playing on this record is simply outstanding, particularly on stand-out track True Allies, the killer collaboration with Jack Osborne, of Call to The Void. The atmospherics, the mixed tempos, the vocal interplay, the heavy hook and blazing solos take it to another level.

Contempt follows in slightly more angular fashion with a more mechanical sound but it is another slap in the face of the evangelical power brokers with searing lines like “Cause there’s no hate like Christian love” – superb. Infinite Connection burns a little slower with its chugging riff and largely spoken lyrics before the punky earworm HHRL (Hitler Hated Red Lipstick) kicks everything up a gear and transforms beauty into a political weapon.

In another highpoint, Tairrie gives her rap tropes their full flow on Fragile Like a Bomb, even dropping a cheeky Ice Cube reference in the opening Goddam. This is rap-rock fusion at its very best with its retro feel and steady groove, underpinned by more stellar work from Mick to rock hard and deliver one of the fiercest blows of the record in an almost understated fashion. The straight up, “immensely cathartic dis track“, Dark Eyes of London, follows with zero subtlety but is equally effective, with Mrs Murphy spitting pure vitriol to an ever-intensifying rifferama.

Spoken word dirge Lady Liberty is cleverly done and demands that we actually listen to what is being said: “I watch as compassion; Withers and dies; Where those we once welcomed; Are scorned and despised“. You have to respect the message here, as even if this isn’t the most immediately accessible track, it really captures some of what Tairrie is trying to say and deserves some extra attention. Muzzle Velocity then uses its firepower to remind us that Democracy is at risk with the current regime if we remain apathetic. There are better tracks on the record, but the final message is one we should all pay attention to:

“It didn’t start with gas chambers & concentration camps; It started with one party controlling the media and the message; One party deciding what is truth & fake news; One party censoring speech and silencing dissent; One party dividing citizens into “us” against “them”; It started with a gradual erosion of democratic principles and human rights; When good people turned a blind eye and let it happen“

The album then closes with a quick-fire double whammy to deliver the knockout blow. First, Truth or Consequences provides a punchy summing up the overall theme of the record before the blistering cover of L7‘s Shitlist provides a fitting finale, it being pretty obvious who has made the shitlist.

All in all, Declaration of Resistance is a mighty fine record deserving of repeated listens. On a simply musical level, it is a great record of hard rocking, cathartic tunes that really hit hard. More importantly, it is a record of the moment and serves as a chilling statement on the pile of shit we are currently drowning in. Tairrie B has a well thought-out vision on the state of the world, which goes far too deep to fully do justice to in a simple album review. But if there is one takeaway, it is that despite the mess that certain people are creating, there are decent people in the world for whom prejudice and hatred is not the way forward.

So, sit down, listen to the record, look at the beautiful artwork that goes with each track, and read the lyrics and the thinking behind each song. The album drops on January 16th and will be available on Bandcamp at https://myruin.bandcamp.com/.

Also check out Tairrie and Mick’s side project SWTEVL: https://swtevl.bandcamp.com/

My Ruin: The Audacity

Posted on by edwardlayland

Check out My Ruin‘s The Audacity, the pulsating new single from the upcoming album Declaration of Resistance. Tairrie B and husband Mick Murphy are rocking hard on this “unapologetic call to action for women who refuse to be silenced.” Tairrie combines spoken word with her visceral metal scream to confront the “entrenched ageism, sexism, and the double standards still weaponized against women in music, politics and culture“; while Mick creates a slow burning rhythm (playing all the instruments!) to offset his blazing guitar lines. This is protest music at its finest, resisting the prevalent facist agenda dominating American politics with a defiant, rock hard slap in the face for those with no respect for gender, race or age.

Declaration of Resistance drops in January. In the meantime, check out My Ruin’s Bandcamp page for downloads & streams: https://myruin.bandcamp.com

What’s Hot In My House – February

Posted on by edwardlayland

With Carnaval and the accompanying break – damn the Brazilian government for making us have more time off work – I have had more family time and less music time than usual. Even so, I have managed to squeeze in some quality listening during the hours of endless relaxation and sun soaked ennui, albeit somewhat restricted to stuff I’m writing about for one reason or another. David Bowie has obviously continued to feature quite heavily, ‘Blackstar’ not being an album you can get to the bottom of in a couple of listens, but have also discovered some lovely new music besides revisiting some old favourites. I’m actually putting together a Hard Pressed mixtape/playlist of lesser known artists that I have featured here on the site, so the likes of Luna Sol, Haybaby and Blind Wives have all been getting a spin, along with a remix of Tairrie B. by Nina Mediatrix, who was gracious enough to grant me an interview a couple of weeks back that is well worth a read. Inescapably though, it is stuff I’ve been reviewing, or had thought about reviewing but just couldn’t find the words for, that has been most dominant; so here’s what’s been titillating my eardrums over the last month or so.

MONEY – Suicide Songs
I really wanted to review this stunning album by the British indie trio, but just couldn’t seem to do it justice. It is beautiful, hypnotic, uplifting and melancholic in equal measure and makes for an elegant, yet emotionally brutal record of poetically crafted songs worth languishing in for a while. Treat yourself to some catharsis, you know you need it.

Two songs which featured in stuff I reviewed last month, and were two of the first tracks that I earmarked for Mixtape Vol.1, are ‘Scars’ by Danish power trio Forever Still and the wonderfully titled ‘Placebo Button’ from the Italian grunge rockers Noam Bleen. The former is a powerful blast of fresh sounding heavy rock with an epic emotional chorus and a cracking vocal from front woman Maja Shining. Noam Bleen, meanwhile, offer up an intricate slice of 90s tinged alternative rock that shows off the band’s love of heavy tube distortion, but also finds them exploring their melodic side with a fine instrumental section; promising stuff from both bands.

The Cult – Hidden City
Isn’t it gratifying when your favourite band come back to top form and produce their most interesting record in over twenty years? What a pleasant surprise this album has turned out to be, there are a lot of really good moments and the quality is high throughout. The Cult maintain their signature sound, that tambourine is shaking away beneath the surface, but they also really explore creatively. Sure, Billy Duffy is on fire and there are riffs a plenty, but Ian Astbury also delivers some emotionally raw vocals and the songs are some of the most stylistically diverse of their career. Killer record.

Nina Mediatrix – Interview

Posted on by edwardlayland

“She was already a mediatrix for all who were seeking the fullness of joy. She had never been just a spectator, but a full participant willingly involving herself in the needs of others.”

nmediatrixMake no bones about it, Nina Mediatrix, a.k.a Mediatrix Music, is cool. After an incredible response of over 80,000 views on You Tube to 2015’s ‘Maybe Mediatrix’ bootleg remix of Björk‘s ‘Lionsong’, the London based twenty something gained a certain kudos, which has only served to enhance the reputation of the producer/DJ/artist, building on previous mixes of the likes of Zhala in the guise of Nina The First. She has since gone on to work with other musicians as diverse as My Ruin vocalist Tairrie B., contributing to her recent rap project, Paleface Junkies and indie pop hipsters Faded Paper Figures, as well as releasing a single, ‘Summer Saga’, in her own right.

Nina has quietly built an enviable portfolio of work and with a host of other projects in the pipeline, such as ‘The Cassette Project’, it is fair to say the future looks bright for this hard working innovator. Moreover, given that women in music already have a difficult enough time getting taken as seriously as they deserve, being on the production side, where “male dominated” would be an immense understatement, makes Nina’s credentials even more admirable.

Anyway, I recently caught up with Nina on Twitter and put a few questions to her about her career, collaborations and the difficulties women face in the music business; here’s what she had to say…

Last year’s bootleg remix of Björk’s ‘Lionsong’ helped establish your credentials as a producer, but given that you are also putting out your own music, how do you see yourself – Producer? DJ? Artist?
I’m a remixer, producer and songwriter, but whenever I meet a new person and I’m asked that question I always answer “a musician”- I think this label really covers all of it!

Was/Is your music career planned out?
I’ve always been the kind of person to make lists and vision boards so I can be clear about what I need to do and I do like to be organised. Of course I certainly have goals for things that I want to achieve in the next few years, but I wouldn’t say it’s planned as in a military operation.

How difficult has it been and has your gender made it even more complicated?
Well my producer name is ‘Mediatrix Music’, or if I’m doing a remix ‘Mediatrix Remix’, so as a name it is non gender specific, so I think that the majority of people who hear my music at this stage won’t be approaching it from the angle of “I’m listening to something that a woman produced/remixed”. But the response I’ve had so far to my music has been positive and actually looking at my youtube stats (and I don’t know how accurate these really are), more men listen to my music on youtube than women so… make of that what you will.

So, how hard is it for women to be taken seriously? Is it even harder on the production side of things? – personally I can’t think of one female producer (except you!) which is unreal!
I’m going to quote Björk on this. She summed up the situation in an interview: “You’re not just imagining things. It’s tough. Everything that a guy says once, you have to say five times.” So..if a woman as accomplished and successful as Björk is saying that then it is certainly something to think about and remember. Personally, I think that I was lucky in that when I started producing and remixing the people that I was working alongside at the time were very supportive and respectful so I had a positive experience early on. If they had not been so great, maybe it would have discouraged me- because faith and confidence can be really fragile things especially when you’re starting something new- I like to think that it wouldn’t and I’d find my way, but I appreciate that it can be tough.

Also, off the top of my head, two great examples of female producers!- Linda Perry and Grimes. I think there’s a lot more people getting into production generally because technology has really opened up this aspect of the industry and I think a lot of writers and artists are enjoying producing and seeing the possibilities that go with it. I think we’ll eventually see a lot more women moving into this area – I hope so.

You’ve had some interesting collaborations of late with the likes of Tairrie B, Pale Faced Junkies and Faded Paper Figures – how did these come about?
Long story short, I’ve been a fan of Tairrie’s for a long time and I had done an interview last year where I listed her as one of my top women in music; so I think initially we connected on Twitter through that. When I had heard Vintage Curses I loved it and approached Tairrie about remixing for her, and it was exciting because I hadn’t really listened to her early 90s rap music, I was a My Ruin fan, so it was very cool to be able to rediscover and enjoy her work in a completely different genre. After producing my first remix for her which was for the ‘Wicked Witch Of The West Coast’ track Tairrie invited me back to do another for ‘Sky Above City Below’ and then after she had released the video for BTCHCRVFT, she reminded me that it was the track I had initially approached her to remix, so I’ve just finished producing that! So we’ve kind of gone full circle which is quite witchy and mystical- very Vintage Curses!

The Paleface Junkies collaboration was connected to my work with Tairrie, as Kid Vibe from Paleface Junkies had done an excellent remix for her first single ‘Beware The Crone’ and at the end of last year he got in touch with me about remixing his own song ‘Heated Up’, which also features Liquor Store Bandits. I had already checked out his work and I loved his Golden Era/old school vibe, so was happy to do it and I think the remix is a cool switch up. Faded Paper Figures and I had connected through Twitter but as their music has been played on Greys Anatomy I had probably heard their stuff before, as I’m a big fan of that show! The track I remixed is ‘Hear Me Out’ with the original song being from their most recent EP ‘Remnants’.

There is quite a depth to your remixes, with a number of influences from different genres, as well as an Old Skool feel – are you a bit of a music geek?
Probably. I listen to every genre under the sun, you know if I like it, I’m not really worried about whether it’s cool or what it ‘says’ about me as a person. I don’t believe in musical snobbery. Also I’m a pianist and I think piano is quite a geeky instrument- it’s not guitar or drums is it? But i also think it’s the best instrument to have training in if you’re going to want to write for other instruments, because you can easily mimic their behaviour and sound, particularly with keyboards and software tones. I’m not saying it’s better than getting real musicians in, but you have the option if you’re writing or producing.

How do you approach a remix, do you immediately know what you want to do?
It’s probably not the most satisfactory answer but every track is different! Often when I hear the original version of a track I will get some ideas and may start working those as a starting point. Occasionally an early idea can form the backbone of a remix and be expanded upon, but then sometimes the finished track is completely different to my original plan. It’s trial and error and both technical and instinctive. Also, I want to consider the artist that I’m producing for and who the artist’s fan base is – I’m trying to create music which I love and that I hope the artist and their fans will also love.

Who are your musical heroes and biggest influences?
Too many to mention! But saying that I will copy paste what I put on my Facebook page: Michael Jackson, Björk, Cheiron Studio, Denniz PoP, Motown, Gary Numan, Depeche Mode, Quincy Jones, NIN, Darkchild, Timbaland, Tairrie B, Tracey Emin, Robyn, Salvador Dali, Orbital, Madonna, Chopin, Beethoven, Nora Tate, Stock Aitken Waterman, Danja, The Prodigy, 808s, Chords, Orchestra Hits, Pitch Bends. God. Endless…

Given the ever changing dynamic of the music industry, is it possible to make a living, or do you need a day job?
I actually think the shift is overall positive. I think certain aspects of the changes happening may put off the kind of person who is attracted to music solely for reasons like instant fame and riches or whatever. But for most of the people I know in music, they’re in it because of an incredible passion for it and they see it as a vocation, more than a job. Obviously people need to make a living, but this is what the whole indie movement is about at the moment because this is really the first generation that have the opportunity to completely reshape how things are done and ways of monetising are changing. I’m hoping for a renaissance period. Imagine in the future if we had a situation where if a kid says “I want to be musician/artist/producer” – people actually take it seriously, rather than discouraging the child, and see it as a viable profession and something concrete – not necessarily chasing mega bucks, but a job like an artisan, earning your living through your craft and skill.

Also I’m grateful for the technology that we have in terms of connectivity and being able to share your work. It’s great for collaborating – the people you want to work with and the people that you want to hear your work, whether artists or producers – these people are far more accessible – that doesn’t mean that they’re going to say yes to working with you (!), but you have the opportunity to make contact and get your music heard in a way that was previously difficult.

Plans for the future?
Hopefully continuing to work with people that inspire me and those with similar musical visions. I’ve got lots of remix projects coming up over the next few months and I’ll be releasing an EP as well this year. The working title is ‘The Cassette Project’ and it’ll be available digitally from iTunes, Tidal, Spotify etc, but also I’ll be doing a limited edition run in cassette format. It’s going to be a cool nostalgia trip with some very 90s influences and hopefully something fun for those that didn’t get to experience the joy of cassettes (and the 90s) the first time round. It’s also a cool way to amalgamate the Mediatrix Music sound. I work with lots of different genres, and most of what I’ve created so far has been totally different from track to track, so I think this is a good way for people that are interested to hear more of what I’m about as musician.

Many thanks to Nina for taking the time to give such thoughtful and thorough answers.
For more on Mediatrix check out: http://www.mediatrixmusic.com and here are links for free downloads of Mediatrix remixes of Tairrie B.: https://tairrieb.bandcamp.com/track/sky-above-city-below-mediatrix-remix
https://tairrieb.bandcamp.com/track/wicked-witch-of-the-west-coast-mediatrix-remix

MEDIATRIX+MUSIC+WEB+LOGO

He For She

Posted on by edwardlayland

While thinking back over the music I’ve enjoyed during the past year, I came to the realisation that a very large portion of it came from female artists or female fronted bands. This really shouldn’t be noteworthy in this day and age, but if you think about it, with the exception of the pop market, most musical styles are still pretty much male dominated. I mean, think of your all time favourite metal/rock/indie/rap acts and basically only indie really has a high chance of including a girl and she’s almost certainly gonna be called Kim.

As such, Indie continues to lead the way with a much higher percentage of female fronted bands; maybe it’s down to being a less image oriented genre, where who or what you are is far less important than your art, who knows? Even so, with the exception of Florence’s last minute headline slot at Glastonbury, the UK festivals were still shamelessly male dominated, indicating that there remains an undercurrent of male bias in the industry. This is highlighted by the fact that when you consider that based on merit alone, rather than the questionable practice of positive discrimination; that is, using record sales and critical acclaim as a guide, the main stage at Reading, Glastonbury, Leeds or IoW could easily have lined up Bjork, Florence, Sleater-Kinney, Wolf Alice, Courtney Barnett and Soak on the main stage; wouldn’t exactly have been torture now, would it?

So, whether the powers at be choose to recognize it or not, there has been a lot of damn fine records released this year by women across all genres, even Rap. Therefore, in my best Emma Watson-esque spirit, I think it only fair and right to give a shout out to some of the supremely talented ladies that have contributed so much to my listening pleasure of late.

Although the overriding misogyny of the Rap/Hip-hop scene continues to be a difficult hurdle for female talent, the likes of Kate Tempest, the classy Dej Loaf and Little Simz represent a new generation of talented girl rappers. In addition, 2015 also saw the return of some old school talent; with the unique Missy Elliott coming back with a stylish new single after stealing the half time show at the Superbowl from under Katy Perry’s nose. However, it’s Tairrie B., one of the most pioneering performers in the game, that has most surprised and challenged me this year with her return to the genre for the accomplished ‘Vintage Curses’ project (https://hardpresseded.wordpress.com/2015/08/18/tairrie-b-vintage-curses/). It showed that she still has a flow comparable with any major rap artist around right now, as well as being as empowering as ever. Check out this badass remix of ‘Wicked Witch of the West Coast’ by Mediatrix – another upcoming female talent.

Hard Rock / Heavy Metal is another complicated area for women, but the likes of Pvris and Marmozets are breaking down old fashioned sexism with the sheer quality of their material. Speaking of quality, I can’t put down the smoking ‘Into the Wild Life’ by Halestorm; Lzzy Hale has a superb hard rock vocal and on ‘I Am The Fire’ she is, well, on fire.

As I said before though, it’s the world of indie/alternative where women are really holding their own. I cannot get enough of Wolf Alice’s ‘My Love is Cool’, especially killer tracks like ‘Bros’, ‘Your Love’s Whore’ and ‘You’re a Germ’. Lead vocalist, Ellie Rowsell, has a superb voice, drifting easily from a breathy hush to a full blooded scream on WA’s classy songs – album of the year?

I discovered the old school indie sludge punk of Haybaby a couple of months back and believe they too are set for bigger things. Leslie Hong has a very strong voice and is equally good whether understated or raging; I love her screaming “I don’t give a fuck if you love me anyhow” in the middle of the chorus to ‘Old Friends’, badass.

Laura Hancock of The Echo and The Always, is another vocalist that has seriously impressed me this year. She has a little more bite to her voice, which glides easily amongst the multiple facets of their intriguing record; she can deliver a pop hook with ease, hold her own on rockier numbers but also has the smoothness of a folk singer. This band will be massive.

To be honest, there is so much amazing female talent around right now, whether it’s a tiny upcoming band like False Advertising (Jen Hingley), hot new singer-songwriter like Soak or a legend like Björk, I could go on and on giving examples. Suffice to say that with so much good music on offer I find it staggering that the issue of equality still needs to be addressed in the music business.

Latest Twitterings

Posted on by edwardlayland

In the current musical climate use of social media has become an imperative marketing tool for, well, pretty much everyone really (me included!), and like U.S senators the adherence of musicians to Twitter is somewhere in the region of 100%. So, since I started this site and started being much more active on Twitter, I have been getting more and more musicians following me and whenever possible I’m featuring them. So here goes the latest batch. Enjoy!

Tairrie B.
For those who don’t know, she is the voice of metal band My Ruin, one of the guest vocalists on the Teenage Time Killers project and a totally badass rapper. Also, from my contact with Tairrie so far, she seems like a really fucking cool human being – sharp, honest, intelligent and extremely courteous, oh yeah and her husband plays a mean guitar. Here’s a remix of the first track from her recently released and thoroughly enjoyable rap album ‘Vintage Curses’, a free download of which is in this link to my review. https://hardpresseded.wordpress.com/2015/08/18/tairrie-b-vintage-curses/

Blind Wives
This is another band I’ve also had the privilege of reviewing and have previously featured in an article on upcoming bands. They play a cool blend of indie, rock, punk and pop and write some fine tunes. Well worth checking out.

Gavin Mikhail
Bit of an internet sensation this talented singer songwriter. He has a fair whack of original material but also seems to like getting behind a piano, stripping down a song and putting his own spin on it, his cover of Death Cab for Cutie racking up over a million views. He’s also covered a whole slew of British artists as diverse as Bon Iver and One Direction.

Romeo Crow
Super positive singer, songwriter, producer, film maker, family man, already has a stack load of followers and is infectiously upbeat. What I listened to was blues tinged pop/rock with some fine guitar playing. Head over to his site and he’ll give you six songs; be inspired! http://romeocrow.com/about/

Neal Hoffmann/Amphibic
Neal is a singer songwriter fusing his love of indie pop and Americana into his own atmospheric sound.

Color Theory.
Not really my thing but if you like your pop music heavy on synths and melodies with easy on the ear vocals this may well be for you.

Faded Paper Figures
I will admit to starting out with the intention of checking out a couple of tracks to see how they sound, expectations were low after a long day, but six tracks in and I was still uncovering surprises. Their brand of instrumentally rich electronica heavy indie is kinda quirky and makes for interesting listening, no two tracks sound the same and they have a real ear for a hook; cool vibe.

METHEDRAS
Slightly chaotic thrash that is not afraid to experiment with song structures and tempos, with an impressively tight rhythm section and plenty of hard hitting riffage. It’s nice to hear a band put a twist on the traditional bay area sound and make it sound fresh and exciting – well worth a listen.

The Uppercuts
Good time British rock band playing an upbeat blend of punky rock n’ roll with a hint of SKA. It’s an enjoyable listen as it’s all very boisterous and good fun, live shows must be a riot!

Leah West
Easy listening country tinged acoustic rock/pop with an atmospheric laid back vibe. Leah has a lovely voice and composes a nice straightforward tune with a penchant for romantic storytelling.

Tairrie B. – Vintage Curses

Posted on by edwardlayland

Tairrie BThis is not your usual rap album, but then again Tairrie B. Murphy is not your usual artist; she’s a fifty-year-old feminist heavy metal screamer (of My Ruin fame) and she does things on her terms, period. So what’s a woman like this doing making a rap record? – Well, because she can! The thing is, back in 1990 she learnt her trade with the legendary Eazy-E, yes, THE Eazy-E from NWA – go see Straight Outta Compton, which (not so?) coincidentally was released the same day, and you’ll get it. So if you’re wondering if she can actually rap, put your fears aside because Tairrie B. possesses a flow many a younger rapper would kill for.

Opening track ‘Beware the Crone’ sets the tone for things to come; smooth well rhymed verses, the occasional well placed sample, some dark rhythms (courtesy of husband Mick Murphy on drums, bass and guitar!) and plenty of bruxaria. The overriding theme of the record is witchcraft, with Tairrie cast as coven leader in this West Coast Helloween (sic). However, this, for me at least – make up your own minds by downloading (or naming your price) on the link below – is the one thing which is a little OTT and makes it a little difficult to take some tracks seriously, notably ‘Wicked Witch of the West Coast’, which is best taken with tongue firmly in cheek.

That said however, Tairrie does approach the subject of witchcraft as a form of empowerment much more seriously on the highly credible ‘Down as Dirt’ and `Carpe Noctem´, which both work the theme well. Speaking of empowerment, when the subject matter is a bit closer to home, such as the role of women in the music industry, she really nails it – ‘Ad Nauseam’ standing out for its lyrical content and hard edge rapping – killer.

Equally killer are ‘Spirit Queen’, which successfully blends rap with her hard rocking side, and the genius sampling of ‘Grease is the Word’ on ´Sky Above, City Below´. Throw in the superb bitchin finale to ‘BTCHCRVFT’ and you’ve got some really stand out moments.

I think it’s fair to say that Tairrie B. more than holds her own on the rap front and has put together some highly listenable well worked tunes, with more than a touch of the old school. She proves that a well placed sample is an art form in itself and that there is a place for the dark side in hip-hop, although in my humble opinion a little less witch and a touch more bitch would really nail it; even so, worth a listen, check it out.

7/10

http://tairrieb.bandcamp.com/