Review Summary: Benjamin Drew's debut is fruitful with grime, lifestyle, personal issues & soul. Is sure is one hell of an album.
'Who needs actions when you've got words?' is the question Benjamin Drew asks. This album is not for the cold hearted. Drew shows his anger, frustration & his soulful voice all in one. Surprisingly, he uses his talent to pull off an excellent album. He explores the lifestyles of people in London. He uses his storytelling skills to make a grimy yet, soulful masterpiece.
Arguably the best track on the album, 'Charmaine' does not fail to impress. He tells the story of him as a young adult falling in love with a fourteen year old girl in which he meets at the train station & takes the girl out for dates. He praises the beauty of the girl and really captures the feelings he has for her. Lines like 'Like a caramel complexion' show he uses his literature to his potential. It's not til' the end of the song does he find out the girl in fact, is a fourteen year old. But then again, there are songs like 'Kidz' which really emphasize his frustration as he describes the actions that teenagers make. He shows how the teenagers of today are much different to what they were. He shows how they are now part of the gang culture and that they cause alot of today's problems.
There are also parts on the album when he talks about his personal life for example, in the song 'Mumma' he talks about his mothers relationship with her boyfriend and how she suffers from abuse yet she still stays with her. Benjamin shows his anger and confusion perfectly with his lyrics as shown below. I really feel like Benjamin is using his lyrical ability to his potential brilliantly.
‘When I First Met Him Thought He Was Cool,
Had A Few Things In Common Like Supportin' Arsenal,
I Saw The Way He Made You Happy Like A Love-Fool
Calmed You Down When Times Were Hard Up, Stressful,
But All That Don't Amount To ***,
When He Starts Actin' Like A Little Kid,
Treatin' You As If You Were Sum Kind Of Bitch’
He shows his soulful side on 'Dead And Buried' in which, he executes beautifully.
But as every album does, it has its bad part. The song 'Tough Love' is probably the worst part of the album. The verses and production is nice but the hook fails to impress. ‘Everyday’ is another example. It has a flat hook & slighty bad production.
In 'Where Ya From?' he takes on a new approach with a less soulful production & hook but it still comes off as a great song. Benjamin ends the album with ironically 'Who Needs Actions When You've Got Words' which has a beautiful hook & concept. As of lyrics, Drew keeps on point for the majority of the album. So, this a brilliant debut for Benjamin Drew & it turns out to be much more than I expected.
Best Songs:
Mumma, Charmaine, Kidz, Who Needs Actions When You've Got Words, Dead And Buried
Worst Song:
Tough Love, Everyday
