Herald rating: * * *
The mere mention of the word "unreleased" is enough to arouse suspicion, particularly when the artist concerned is also the label founder. Thankfully, most of these joints are smoking, particularly P-Money's beefy reworking of 1200 Technique's The Word.
Elsewhere this selection of rare cuts, demos and remixes has
more of a low-key club vibe than his last studio album, Magic City, which showcased his knack for writing anthemic hip-hop tunes. And unlike his instrumental album, there's a strong emphasis on the vocal talent, including everyone from Che Fu to PNC, Mystro, Savage and Dave Dobbyn. That makes for some inspired moments and proves he's capable of adapting to other styles, such as the beat-driven As I Fall by local chill out band Aerial. But he plays it safe on the hip-hop tracks, relying on his trademark combination of synth sounds, soul and orchestral samples and chipmunk vocals. Who You Gonna Blame with MC D'Mystro starts off blazing but gets a little repetitive, as does the skew-whiff version of Chains with Che Fu.
To his credit, the best moments are the laidback, organic instrumentals, such as the R2D2-style He Buys You Diamonds, and the sophisticated Peace of Mind.
Label: Dirty
Verdict: A mix of daring and not so daring from producer's studio archive
