BEATCHILD
Something Forever (Special Edition)
[BBE]
J Dilla has a lot to answer for. The legendary Detroit producer, crate-digger and DJ was a sonic maverick who crafted a sound all his own - one which has been unselfconciously aped by a laundry list of artists ever since. Add Canadian producer Beatchild to said list. BBE have re-released his Something Forver EP with four new tracks, and while much of this doesn't develop beyond dinner party music often enough to really engage, there are fleeting moments when I hear Pete Rock, Raphael Saadiq and even D'Angelo among these smoky, chocolate-smooth grooves. Soulful, jazzy, head-nodding, slow-burning vibes and positive lyricism abound, but when the tempo is slow the cliches mount up and he sounds like a poor man's Maxwell. When the tracks bump along Beatchild sounds at his most original and exciting - Down, B-Boy Beef V2 and D.A.N.C.E. are clear iPod picks. Promising, yes, but ultimately just not delivering.
2 and 1/2 stars from 5
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