ABOUT THIS ITEM

Fire up the barbecue, crack a Dragon Stout, mix up yer Guinness punch, carry out whatever cliched act of Caribbeanism you can think of, because it’s summer at last and a new Roots Manuva album is here! Okay, let’s clarify that ‘new’ a little. What you hold in your hands is in fact largely a series of re-works by a talented producer who, for reasons best known to himself, goes by the moniker Wrongtom. Originally commissioned to create a dub of "Buff Nuff", the results were so good that Big Dada asked Wrong Tom to create a whole set of dubs for Roots Manuva's "Slime & Reason" LP, which came out as a bonus CD.

Two years on and Tom, with moral support from Mr Manuva, has turned in an album which covers all four of Roots Manuva’s main albums, plus tracks from “Dub Come Save Me” and “Alternately Deep” and a brand new collaboration with Mr Manuva and Ricky Ranking on lead single “Jah Warriors”. Tom decided to re-imagine each track as if his re-work was in fact the orignal version of the tune from a previous decade. Hence “Motion 5000” becomes classic roots groove “Motion ’82”, whereas something like “Rebuff” sees “Buff Nuff” return as vintage digi-dub.

And while this album is, in effect, a bit of summer fun to keep us all satisfied until Roots comes through with a whole new batch of material, the re-works are so well done, and lock so tight with Rodney’s vox that they actually achieve more than anyone could hope for. Often when people are dealing with Mr Rodney Smith they’re so concerned with his ground-breaking productions, his convoluted back story and his Genuine UK Maverick (GUM?) status that it’s easy to forget just what a good MC he is, how clever with words, how funny and insightful, how relaxed and easy and plain beautiful he sounds on the beat. It’s all here, one of the best UK lyricists and voices of the last decade as you’ve never quite heard him before, but probably secretly always wanted to. Sit back and enjoy while the sun still shines…