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Q MagazineApr 9, 2013This isn't his masterpiece, but it is the unexpected sound of the road of excess leading to the palace of wisdom. [May 2013, p.103]
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Apr 8, 2013["Skillzone" is] one the few times the album offers a "punch in the gut." Everything else is more "hands in the air" and from every radio-friendly strain of wonky pop, giving the impression that The Ascent is a mixtape of Wiley features and not a proper album.
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Apr 3, 2013The Ascent doesn’t actually feel like a Wiley record. That’s mainly because it’s a struggle to find him amongst the gaggle of voices that spit their way across vapid efforts like the Chip and Ms D collaboration ‘Reload’ and the pedestrian Far East Movement-mauled ‘So Alive’.
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Apr 2, 2013There are legitimate bangers, such as First Class and So Alive, but few of the tracks have that wild Wiley kick, because he hasn't produced any of them.
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Apr 2, 2013Only the LP’s soaring ‘Intro’ hints at greatness, and despite the raw talent on display, the dose is diluted and the sum total falls short.
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Apr 2, 2013There’ve been worse assaults on the ears, that’s for sure. But for fans of the original eski sound, it’s a shame that Wiley has his eyes fixed too intently on his Ascent.