By Keith Walsh
The album opens with a soundbite: Q:“Do you like the Carpenters?” A: “I think that they’re sensational. But this is even better.”

And though I definitely am a long-time fan of Karen and Richard Carpenter’s classic work, I have to agree, that this debut album by British Hip Hop duo Ree-Vo scratches an auditory itch that’s been bugging me for a long time. It’s called All Welcome On Planet Ree-Vo and it’s very special indeed.

Frontman T. Relly’s raps feature the smart social consciousness of the best hip hop and reggae, while Andy Spaceland produces with electronic beats ready for the dancehall, in a fresh and exciting set recorded at Bristol’s famed Christchurch Studios. It’s a ten-track disc of catchy and fun electro and hip hop, with traces of Massive Attack and M.I.A., even going back to the sounds of Public Enemy of the late 80s. There’s some Tricky in there too, and others that I’m too disconnected to know about. The poetry of the vocals, which are sometimes rap, sometimes melodic, the playfulness of the grooves, and the infectiousness of the beats all compel me to hit play for a second and third time.

There’s a lineage to classic soul as well, with songs like “Boom,” and “The End Of The World” evoking 60s tracks. Far from the macho swagger of some rap, it’s the playful joy and self-assuredness of creating something unique and important that comes across.

The single “Spacebox” suggests the excitement of impromptu romance in a way that hasn’t been done before. It’s sexy and funny at the same time, the way random hookups can be –just in time for the renewed liberation of the post Covid-era.

I can see this duo reaching massive top ten status, if they continue creating such smart and catchy melodies and rhythms.

Ree-Vo On Facebook
https://soundcloud.com/reevo
Reevo On YouTube
Ree-Vo On Spotify
Ree-Vo On Apple Music
Ree-Vo On Spotify

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