Long before The Streets and Dizzee Rascal were making magazine covers, Roots Manuva (real name Rodney Smith) was flying the flag for that strange genre known as Brit-hop. Unfortunately, no-one wanted to know - which is partly why he's spent the last few years recovering from what sounds like a nasty nervous breakdown. Thankfully, the son of a Stockwell preacher has now channelled those experiences into Awfully Deep, his awfully good third album that may well be the one to break him. There are elements of electro-pop, dancehall and reggae here, but they're all really just the backdrop for his extraordinary vocals, rich, earthy and often very bitingly funny. And it's certainly a welcome break from the kind of bitches'n'bling machismo that mars so much hip-hop across the Atlantic. A man for the future.

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