Sepalot’s sound is as unformulaic as Russell Brand's comedy routine. It is the funkiest hip-hop sound that you would ever want to hear. Sepalot shifts effortlessly between hip-hop, eletro and every other imaginable genre on Red Handed. As a musician, Sepalot is hip-hop’s answer to Prince, before Prince became The Artist Formerly Known As. This album is where hip-hop merges with other musical forms to create a mish-mash of sounds; it is a far cry from the music of hip-hop’s forefathers. On Red Handed, he utilizes no less than nine different artists. Whether it’s Frank Nitty, New York rapper Saigon, German soul diva Miss Platnum or Frank-N-Dank, there is no possibly of growing bored here. Personally speaking, it is the voice of New Zealand’s Ladi6—featured on “Go Get It”—that is the real standout. A song that would sit pretty in a James Bond film, it’s mysterious like Hitchcock, sultry like Argentina and as sex-charged as Salt N’ Pepper in the early 1990s. Indeed, “Go Get It” is the dark-horse single of the album. However, it is on the first single, “She Likes Me” featuring Frank Nitty, that Sepalot has found a hit with both European and international DJs. Its success comes as no real surprise, as within one listen I was embarrassingly attempting to rap along with the chorus like it was my business. Without much success. Sepalot’s songwriting skills are in-your-face (or more appropriately, in your ears), from the commercial rap-sound of “The Intro” to the worldly “From the Get Go,” or the ultra cool, “Smile.” This is a highly recommended new release, and will appeal to all hip-hop and electronic music lovers—even those who enjoy a more commercial sound. 8/10 |