Ms Dynamite: Judgement Days (Polydor)

It’s four years on since Niomi McLean-Daley, better known as Ms Dynamite broke through with her debut album ‘A Little Deeper’, which went on to win the 2002 Mercury Music Prize. She’s since become known as an artist with much to say on record or in public. She’s recognised for her lyrics, which range from sweet childhood memories, to familial abuse, anti-gun themes, and numerous socio-political themes. In addition to the usual music industry accolades, such as the Mercury Music Prize, MOBO and BRIT awards, she’s won awards from Capital Radio and the Telegraph newspaper for her stance on gun crime.

All these are reasons why she was one of the few BBM artists to represent on the London Live8 concert, and the only BBM writer to be represented in Music Week’s What makes a great lyric? feature.  “Ms Dynamite is a prime example of a great lyricist,” noted Ms Dynamite’s publisher EMI Music Publishing MD Guy Moot. “It’s not that she talks about issues that other rappers aren’t, it’s the way she delivers and how she does it so eloquently and articulately.”

She may deliver her rhymes “so eloquently and articulately,” but one wonders whether the amount of swearing isn’t gratuitous? One side of her double A-sided single, ‘Father’, is an amazingly vitriolic attack on her absentee father. Whilst some justification or exception can be made for a song oozing with hurt about the abandonment at a time when a growing child needed a father, there’s little excuse for the swearing on what should be tame songs, like ‘Let It Go’.

Yes, her albums thankfully have Parental Advisory stickers. But is that enough for an artist who has a huge young fanbase, and has declared being a role-model for young girls? When we last spoke to Ms Dynamite around the time of the release of her debut album, we picked her up on the issue of swearing. This is what she had to say:

“I think it makes people’s ears stand up a little bit more, especially if it’s a young woman saying it, and especially if it’s R&B or soul music. It’s not the thing that you necessarily hear. For me, it’s like all about emphasising my point, getting to the point, and making it sound as strong and as important as it is to me. But there’s a clean version for all the young people and the mums.”

But as we know, singles usually come with the explicit album version. And despite the Parental Advisory notice, parents can not totally police their children in order to make sure they do not play non-clean versions.

Some would have thought motherhood may have mellowed her, at least made her use more temperate language that would make her album a more comfortable listening experience for her son Shavaar, whom she dedicates an eponymous doting song to.

Anyway, with the issue of swearing out of the way, it’s worth highlighting another point we raised when last spoke to Ms Dynamite. There are UK garage fans who feel she’s abandoned the genre from which she got her first break. “I haven’t left garage,” responded Ms Dynamite, before adding that people will need to check out ‘A Little Darker’, her more garage-based album. Sadly, not only is there no UK garage-flavoured track on the new album, ‘A Little Darker’ is yet to surface.

What we have on the new album is pretty much the same as its predecessor: soul, R&B, reggae, and lyrics covering, love, and familial and socio-political issues. Additionally, there’s a cover – an impressive interpretation of Bob Marley’s socio-political anthem ‘Redemption Song’. This puts Ms Dynamite’s own acoustic guitar and vocal socio-political offering ‘Mr Prime Minister’ into context. It’s a strong song, which takes a dig not at a Prime Minister that is accused of pricing the people out of education, overseeing a joke health service, etc. The police, media, drug dealers and killers, all come in for criticism in a song beautifully sung by Ms Dynamite and a strong but understated backing vocal group.

The album opens with the other song on the double A-side, ‘Judgement Day’. It’s a bubbly tune with a lilting reggae-ish bounce. Over it, Ms Dynamite points an accusatory finger at malfeasants, errant priests and exploitative pharmaceutical companies. This is followed by the afore-mentioned ‘Father’.  She doesn’t care what he was going through, sings Ms Dynamite. But whilst no doubt that there are terrible fathers out there, who knows their side of the story. Next to be judged mercilessly are the gun-men in ‘Put Your Gun Away’. “Put your gun away, release the stress and just chill…” sings Ms Dynamite. It would be a clubbing tune, if not for the serious theme. Guest rapper Sincere may not have the greatest of rap flows, but his rhymes are aptly in tune with Ms Dynamite’s lyrics.

‘Back Then’ is one of those reminiscing songs does well. This time is spun around young love. She flips into lovers rock mode with ‘Fall In Love Again’, which cleverly uses as a Ken Boothe sample of ‘When I Fall In Love’. The hip-hop soulster ‘Not Today’ drops an honest reflection of an off-day when she doesn’t want a camera, or answer another boring question, or even make the studio, even though it’s been booked. She’s admits to her humanity and why today, she just needs that special break. An interesting story from the viewpoint a vulnerable star.

Lil Wayne raps on the slo-mo soulful socio-tipped R&Ber ‘You Don’t Have To Cry’. We stay in the soulful slo-mo tempo with ‘Unbreakable’. It’s an affirmative love song with a cool acoustic guitar featured break-down. ‘Pain’ reflects upon the negativities of a relationship over a bumping two-step soul vibe. ‘Shavaar’ is an uplifting soulster dedicated to her son. We hit the dancehall grooves with the socio-commentary ‘Self Destruction’, which features reggae DJ Assassin.

Pity about some of the language, as ‘Let It Go’ is probably one of the more immediate, bubbly and crossover cuts here. ‘She Don’t Live Here Anymore’ seems to interpolate some of the lyrics and melodies of ‘Love Don’t Live Here Anymore’, which was popularised by Rose Royce. One almost feels guilty bopping to a tune which highlights the sad, warped confusion of abuse and hurt for love.

The album closes with the mellow but vocally and lyrically poignant ‘Mr Prime Minister’ and ‘Redemption Song’. Our reservations notwithstanding, this is a strong album, production-wise, vocal-wise, and most importantly lyric-wise. It may have been long in coming, but Ms Dynamite has come back strong.

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