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UncutSep 15, 2011Stuffed full of prospective hits, Wretch's desire to rank beside Kanye and Jay-Z may not be that far fetched. [Sep 2011]
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Sep 15, 2011Black and White is a refreshingly personal, authentic, and fresh take on a British urban scene that was starting to become slightly stale.
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Sep 15, 2011Across these varied tracks we hear Wretch 32 in all of his lyrical glory, making good on the promise he's shown since day one.
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Sep 15, 2011It's Wretch's determination to find success by finding his own voice that's most impressive here.
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Sep 23, 2011Overall, Wretch 32 gives us a fresh take on a common story.
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Q MagazineDec 14, 2011At 14 tracks long, it could have done with some editing: there are too many soggy R&B diversions. [Oct 2011, p.113]
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Sep 15, 2011The beats aren't always the best, but Wretch, who lives on the notorious Tiverton Estate and whose "mum's still living in the ends", has a self-awareness lacking in many of his peers.
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Sep 15, 2011A grime mixtape veteran, Jermaine Scott combines plenty of chart-friendly tracks on his mainstream debut ("Traktor" and "Unorthodox" have already been hits) with just enough erudite self-examination ("Forgiveness") to warrant more than a passive listen.
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Sep 15, 2011It's performance, too, and about the dance of the music as much as words. When these align, his is a voice that sounds vital. But while Black and White is undoubtedly a relevant album to 2011, it's not always a good one.
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Sep 15, 2011So par for the course, it should come with its own small pencil and scorecard.
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Sep 15, 2011Sadly, such pop bluster is largely missing from this debut album, which is over-long and obsessed with pained R&B choruses--precisely the reasons we all went off American rap in the first place.