The notion that there's no such thing as bad publicity must be ringing fairly hollow in the ears of So Solid Crew. Having enjoyed a phenomenally successful year, the 30-strong London collective of rappers, DJ's and producers now find themselves splashed all over the tabloids for their allegedly violent behaviour and the shooting of two men at one of their concerts. In the midst of all this turmoil comes the release of their debut album, which is a reasonably accomplished effort but doesn't quite live up to the hype which had proclaimed them as UK garage's brightest stars. The So Solid formula is entertaining in small doses but quickly becomes predictable: heavy basslines, lurching ragga beats and irritatingly petulant lyrics about the band's wealth and the jealousy of their enemies. In the current climate, meanwhile, the constant references to gangland beatings and gunshot effects can't help sounding just a little inappropriate.
