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100

Observer Music Monthly

Slime & Reason, then, is yet another gutsy work from a deeply honest artist.

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100

NOW Magazine

His clever quips, wonky wordplay, raunchy voice and oddball timing combine into something beyond reproduction by anybody, not that any other MC is daring enough to try doing this type of grimy, soulful crunk-hop

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Uncut

Smith sounds urgent, fresh and revitalised. [Sep 2008, p.100]

musicOMH.com

This being Roots Manuva there's a lyrical gem in pretty much each song - and this being Roots Manuva, a lot of them are intensely personal observations.

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RapReviews.com

The album is an excellent listen from start to finish, and a generally successful snapshot of London in 2008.

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The Guardian

The lilting gospel chorus of 'Let the Spirit' and the doomy 'It's Me Oh Lord' find Manuva stewing in a cauldron of guilt and self-recrimination, the potent authority in his voice lending them gravity and beauty in equal measure.

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Dusted Magazine

Don’t worry if Smith’s quirk is your main draw, though, because Slime & Reason only furthers his evolution into becoming a mad scientist of digital dub production (with excellent contributions from Toddla T and Metronomy) and vocal menace.

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The Phoenix

Slightly less coherent than his previous stunner, "Awfully Deep," Slime & Reason has tracks intended to fill dance floors and cuts that are more layered, their intricate beats and rhymes better suited to headphone enjoyment.

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Pitchfork

While Manuva's unorthodox style is a unique pleasure, too often his flow can be laconic to the point of being subliminal--a good portion of Slime & Reason's midsection demands attention, but doesn't necessarily deserve it, not when the beats that support his rhymes are just-below-scale like the budget g-funk of "Kick Up Ya Foot".

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New Musical Express

While an ambitious selection of productions have reinvigorated his approach, as the album rolls on, the same solo call-and-response hooks, and methodical, self-effacing verses show that, vocally, he’s content sticking to familiar, functional turf.

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Billboard

Flexing a bit of the angry lyrical edge he boasted on 2005's "Awfully Deep," Roots digs into "fickle DJs," no-talent rappers, Trustafarians and "bourgeois hippies" who "wanna fight my flow," as he proclaims on the track '2 Much 2 Soon.'

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Alternative Press

Slime gives good reason to say Roots is winning. [Dec 2008, p.152]

Spin

He cuts through Slime & reason's rudeboy grime with poker-faced nerve. [Nov 2008, p.100]

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Mojo

Slime & Reason practically revels in its juicy sense of freedom. [Sep 2008, p.112]

PopMatters

Manuva’s incessant background singing is regressive in a musical way, not nostalgic as the rest of the album intends to be. Perhaps inseparable from his production and writing process, its addition can detract from his most stirring quality: effortlessly smooth delivery.

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Q Magazine

HIs fourth album is a step up from the patchy "Awfully Deep." [Oct 2008, p.150]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 9.0 (out of 10) based on 1 User Votes

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Slime & Reason

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