Rating:
* * * *
New Orleans brothers Kintrell "Krispy Kream" Evans and Alvin "Rah Al Millio" Evans haven't had the easiest life. Displaced by Hurricane Katrina, the brothers would have every right to make angry, hateful rap music.
Instead, they use their fast mouths and smart heads to turn out a tight, yet diverse collection of rhymes that resist the urge to overwhelm with spitfire freestyles.
Combining searing rock riffs and sonic, electro backing tracks, the album traverses the serious to the surreal, while maintaining a sense of humour throughout.
A vocal interlude -
Pea Knuckle Skit
- sounds like a
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
spoof as an unidentified man puts on his best Limey accent and rants on about his frozen-pea knuckles.
Like early-era Outkast, The Knux's debut album has a wide-ranging appeal that will win over mainstream listeners, while still earning the admiration of die-hard hip-hoppers.
With an easy bounce and rolling rhymes, The Knux get away with fiercely cutting lyrics, without ever really offending. But don't be fooled - this is not one for the kids.
Part hip-hop, part electro-rock mash-up, no two songs sound the same on this superb debut, which never loses its appeal over its 17-track duration.
Joanna Hunkin
'It is a project that was of great importance to Malcolm.'