The Herbaliser

Their Solid Steel attempt was a little disappointing so heads have been anticipating the next project from the Herbaliser, and with the return of Jean "What What” Grae, we seem to have something special on our hands. Take London has the Herbs in fine form as usual when it comes to their own compositions — a balance of hip-hop and vintage beats that could have scored classic crime films. Fantastic guest appearances from the likes of Roots Manuva are almost expected, but the real treat is the return of hip-hop’s greatest female voice. Jean Grae teaming up with Jake and Ollie is almost like a family reunion and the connection spawns masterpieces like "Generals” where Jean transforms into a posse cut all on her own, flowing in various voices over an extremely sinister track that sounds like an army is going to march out of your stereo. This could very well be the Herbaliser’s greatest ode to cinematic hip-hop and their strongest release since Blow Your Headphones.