A Little Deeper

Sferig 3,5 of 4

"We have Lauryn Hill at home." 2.5/5

Never heard of her, but I enjoyed her. Good lyrics about women not putting up with crappy dudes and they went good with the music. Hugged that borderline between rap and R&B, and did it well.

Great grooves and beats. I like her songwriting and the reggae influence she works into her songs. Never heard of her before but she's a pretty great rapper. My only criticism of this album is that it's too long. If she would have edited this down to my favorite 10 songs on the album she would have a 5.

This album was pretty darn good...very well produced, and the songs had such a cool vibe to them. She's a great rapper and lyricist too. Really enjoyed!

A stellar album; I listened twice through and would happily listen again. There's so much to love about this, and it's immediately obvious why Ms. Dynamite has the reputation she does. Brilliant stuff. Favourites: Dy-Na-Mi-Tee Put Him Out Sick'n'Tired Now U Want My Love

153/1001 First listen. By the end of this I was like Is this even the same album? Whole other vibe goin’ on. I’m not going to listen to this again but I did like the sound of it. This is a strong two but I’ll bump it to three stars. It kept me interested. 5/10

Why in gods green earth is in the top 1001 albums of all time. Fake ass Lauryn Hill wanna be. Lame.

This was a really neat find. Ask any 10 people walking down the street of NYC and I doubt a single one of them would know who Ms. Dynamite is. This album is for those who yearn for more Mary J. Blige. Who knew the UK could generate something of this quality in the R&B/ rap category (then again, Mark Morrison's "Return of the Mack" might be one of the best songs ever made). I find it really interesting when something hits in the UK but can't find its way over here (see: Robbie Williams. Actually, I'll get this off my chest here, Better Man is overrated. Great music though). Go find this album, truly a treasure.

Was middle of the road for me. I liked it but I dont think I would listen to again. She is a good rapper

Pretty good album.

another perfectly fine but totally forgettable older r&b album. this one will be lost to the sands of time. 3/5

Judging the cover art, this is 2002. I don’t think I would like this, and even the first song comes off cheesy to me, but as the rest of the songs unfolded, I enjoyed them all the same.

I enjoyed this to a very surprising degree. It was a mood, or possibly a vibe. I also was amazed at how familiar it all felt, I suspect that Dynamite was everywhere for a spell, in a way last seen when the police raided Wily E Coyote's house. Touch too long, obviously, and a little same-y, of course, because it wouldn't be a garage or R&B album without those complaints, but still really enjoyable to listen to.

A little dated but a lot of good tracks. Kind of like a bridge between what Mary J Blige was doing and what Amy Winehouse was going to do!

A competent hip hop/R&B mix, if not a bit samey. Dancehall flavors are sprinkled throughout, a reflection of the Caribbean culture in England. Heaps of female empowerment and largely positive vibes. I don't really check for UK rap like that. If Lil Kim isn't on the list, I'm gonna scream.

Forgot about her! Love this album. Why hasn't she made more?!?

I bought this album when it won the Mercury award and I was pretty unimpressed then. I've not listened to it since until yesterday. It's strange that it won the award (although not as odd as M People winning it!) and it's strange that its on the list. Mostly is fine, bland but pleasant enough. There were a couple of bits that I enjoyed near the beginning of the album Dyna-Mi-Tee and, in particular Put Him Out. However the album goes on for too long and the (oh so 90s/00s) secret track is awful. If the album cut the last three songs, I'd have given it a three. but the weak ending left a bad taste in my mouth.

Relatively ordinary R&B of its time, but of a good quality with some engaging songs, it forms an adequately solid album on the whole

Reminds me of the time I made a guitar out of a shoe box and a rubber band. I wandered over to my work colleague at a nearby desk playing my rudimentary guitar and serenaded her with Dy-na-mi-teee. Channeling my inner Harry Hill. She told me to go away.

Definitely of its time and place but still loved in this house

Ehh…I’m not sure there’s any UK rap that I need to hear before I die. This album did not disabuse me of that opinion. 2⭐️

perdon pero no es mi estilo nose

This was great! The beats were a little scrappy, in a very tactile way if that makes sense? And her lyricism and flow are impressive, this was a great project!

I enjoyed this record. It's not really my wheelhouse, but it was a good listen.

stop with the UK rappers please

unpopular opinion, i actually liked this

Clues in the album title. A deep album filled with personal struggles triumph and pain. A true meditation on growing up as a young female in the inner city and navigating the daily challenges. Difficult for me to fully appreciate as a white 30 odd male but can fully empathise with the verses spoken. Some stand out moments with Dy-Na-Mi-TE and Seed Will Grow but a fully enjoyable album none the less. Some really great vocals laid down here too with a mix of Hip Hop/Rap and Soul. It's not an album I'll continue to jump to and listen to in full, but there's some brilliant tracks on here for sure

It's fine, but not very memorable

Really enjoyed this one. I wonder if Lauren Hill hadn’t been so popular that this lady would have been more well known.

It was okay, I liked how it flows, it's pleasant and liked the rapping and the music in general. Not bad!

Ok so it’s not terrible but just not really something I can massively get into and because of that I just start to get a bit bored before too long.

A pale imitation of actual music.

That’s pretty shite-tee-hee

Honestly, this one stands it's ground among 2000s rap/rnb albums. Stronger 3

1.5

2.5

A bit of Lauren Hill, & Alicia Keys with the Destiny's Child Harmonies. For the most part I really liked this and can see why it was very popular (in the UK) at the time, but also why she's not a legacy artist. (7.45) ★★★½

I liked this more than I expected. I have a bit of a soft spot for female UK hiphop, and I liked the beats quite well. 3.5 stars

I thought some of it was alright, but a lot of it sounds like very dated R&B/pop. 2.5 stars.

‘Ms Dy-Na-Mi-Tee-Hee’ is a very catchy hit and rightfully deserves its place on the FIFA Football 2003 soundtrack… not so much on a 1001 Albums list. I can’t say I’ve ever wanted to dig into Ms Dynamite even ‘a little deeper’. It Takes More is the other main distinctive hit here and is also pretty sass with slight future echoes of Amy Winehouse You Know I’m No Good. The rest of the album is just really standard smooth RnB or cheesy clunky hip hop and goes on for too long. That’s the crux of it really… sass rapper n singer, super average songs outside of the 2 decentish hits. Generous 3 even though the FIFA Football 2003 soundtrack should be here instead.

This wasn't really my genre. It had its moments that I enjoyed, but mostly I was just waiting for it to be over, and it was a long album. Looking back though, it was a well produced collection of music. Three stars.

surprisingly mid

Eh. Sure.

it was alright, solid 3 star album nothing really stood out to me

Love

Yeah, this does nothing for me. Pretty shallow gibberish. Not sure it was groundbreaking when it came out, certainly not in 2026.

bad

Ms. Dynamite's “A Little Deeper” isn't bad for a contemporary R&B album. Once you skip the rather annoying “Dy-Na-Mi-Tee,” the remaining 13 tracks offer a variety of ragga vibes that are easy on the ears. I like that not everything sounds the same and that the singer has a pretty good voice, which is complemented on two songs by male singers—whose names I didn't know, but who fit well with the overall sound. Nothing here is really outstanding, and it remains a genre of music that I can't really get into... Nevertheless, if you need some modern easy listening background music, “A Little Deeper” is not a bad choice.

Catchy in some areas but just mid overall

The UK bias strikes again. Ignoring that it's fine. Well produced. Definitely Nelly Furtado vibes, which is odd since she is supposed to be from London. Looks like Nelly Furtado didn't make the list. Loose deserves a place above this. 2.5/5. Raising to 3.

Never heard of her and after listening to this album I know why. Nothing about this album sticks out. It’s meh, at best.

Not for me. 1. Dy-Na-Mi-Tee 2. Krazy Krush 3. Gotta Let U Know

Not impressed

Muy buen sampleo en algunas canciones y la voz de la mina la verdad que es excelente. Sin embargo, es un estilo que rápidamente se vuelve repetitivo.

There's nothing wrong with this for what it is, but I could not for the life of me figure out why it is on the list.

A dud. It seems the curators of this list are from Englandland, and somehow don't realize every country has multiple carbon copies of this exact thing, and none of them constitute as essential listening.

Ok rap/rnb album. Listened this while working and noticed some nice groove and I enjoyed the singers voice. This wasn't something I'd listen to by choice but definitely wouldn't mind listening to this if someone would spin this up.

favorites: put him out; we will grow; crazy crush

Good voice and innovative tbh

Pretty good. Not my favorite rap album, but I'm still a pretty big fan.

Ayyyy its 2003 again. Back in the day when I was a kid around this time I couldn't have been caught dead listening to music like this. And I was way wrong. This stuff is so cool. Im not denouncing all the pop punk I was into at the time, there is just room for both. Ms dynamite kills it all over this thing. The beats and instrumentals are great. The songwriting is great. The vocals performances are all great. I know nothing about her but she gives me a ms Lauren hill vibe. Im still partial to the auntie but dynamite is killer too. Just a good good record. Also as a little ps, I had not clue she was British until the last 3 songs. The bonus tracks are as united kingdom as I could imagine and it gave me a chuckle. That is all

Although the 2000s sound is still somewhat in vogue, this album felt dated and offered nothing special or interesting.

Like dollar store Destiny's Child

Got through about half of it but wasn’t able to finish it. I like what I heard it was definitely a very personal album with some great vocals and differentiation between tracks. 3.5

The title track on this was probably the best track. After which the album becomes more dull with the following tracks. Wouldn't really give this another listen

All the music is objectively good but you know I just I didn’t feel that connections with it. The other songs have but like it’s objectively good music but I don’t think it’s for me.

A little generic and long but not too bad. low 3/5

I was a senior in high school when this came out, but have never heard of her then or since. Gave me Doechii vibes a little, less on the nose than some of the other socially conscious artists at the time.

Not really my thing

Chill vibes, some songs had deep lyrics, but just the thing I was expecting and hoping for. Nothing crazy complicated or over the top. 6/10

Enjoyed it more than expected. Very typical Noughties hip-hop album. Some great songs, some lesser, but all still pretty good. A surprising one today.

ho la sensazione che dovrei/vorrei ascoltarlo di nuovo e meglio. mi ricorda un po’ lauryn hill. non mi è dispiaciuto

çok tarzım değil mlsf ama 2-3 şarkıya güzeldi dedim yalan olmasın

que gran album!! guardaría un monton de canciones. No conocía y gran mujer la amé.

This was a decent listen, but it didn’t really blow me away. The themes are strong and there’s clearly something being said, which I respect, but musically it didn’t always pull me in. There are moments where it clicks and feels confident, but a lot of it just kind of passed by without sticking.

Not my thing.

This is #day542 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to some early '00s R&B by an artist I've never heard before. I thought I wouldn't mind it as a one-off background experience, but I was wrong: this really isn't my kind of music, and I don't get its historical merit either. Halfway through the record, I had no desire to continue. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day543.

Jo men bitvis riktigt bra. Men inget jag går igång på så mycket

esqueci de dar nota pra esse mais um pra série "não é ruim, mas é completamente esquecível"

começou bem interessante e divertido, mas se perdeu foda no mei do caminho, no final ficou de boa de novo. acho que a voz dela me irritou um pouco (eh mto boa eu que sou chato). no mais, eh r&b britânico que nao sei se TENHO que ouvir antes de morrer nao

Dry-na-mi-tee is a nice nod to reggae but doesn’t set the table for the album unfortunately, and Put Him Down has an appealing energy. But every other song is a slow balladic attempt that drains the excitement of the one before. Not that it’s all bad. The little a cappella “Watch over Them” and the (again) reggae flavored “Seed Will Grow (featuring Kymani Marley) excel regardless of genre. More socially conscious rhymes than not. Sincere feminism runs through it. Much more R&B than rap. Could really easily tip over into “meh” without much effort.

Loved the first half, especially Dy-Na-Mi-Tee, but got lost in the second.

British rappers usually sound so pretentious, but I recognize I’m an American. Ms. Dynamite herself doesn’t sound pretentious, but some of her guest male rappers do, though I won’t hold it against her. The strongest songs are by herself or with female backing singers. “Watch Over Them” is performed a cappella, which shows that she can sing and rap, and the way she performs this song is so powerful. Her woman power themes harkens back to Missy Elliott or Queen Latifah, and I will never tire of it. Ms. Dynamite even attacks racism, colonialism, and materialism in “It Takes More,” and we love to see it. She includes a touching tribute to her family in “Brother,” which is a nice way to soften a heavy album. The album’s sound is unique. I hear nineties hip hop but more than that, nineties r&b! “All I Ever” had so much saxophone (in a good way). Some songs contain reggae or electronic, not abrasive at all. In conclusion, for an album I didn’t realize I’d write so much about, A Little Deeper is a sleeper album that sounds fresh and is super catchy. An easy 4.

This album was a nice mix of hip-hop and R&B. I don't necessarily consider myself an expert in these genres, but Ms. Dynamite's work here somehow stood out from other typical albums in these genres from this time period. I enjoyed it!

Dud.

Cool when it's not so poppy. The record starts with series of single-friendly poppy tracks. These feet annoying to me. It's a distinctive 00s pop R&B sound that I can't seem to enjoy. Later tracks feel much more real and honest to me and I like them a lot more

Gut

6/10

It’s a shame this album never crossed the Atlantic. It’s just as good, maybe better, than what was popular/marketed in America at the time. I particularly liked “put him out” and “brother”.

Just doesn’t seem to be doing anything particularly interesting? Very 2003 2 stars

I didn't mind this at all. Really liked some of the lyrics and there were some good melodies.

We really enjoyed this album. Quite soulful at times, and generally filled with enjoyable grooves and beats. Made good easy Sunday listening as we sat quietly painting/gaming. Not sure it warrants the criticism levelled at it - we enjoyed it more than a lot of the other albums we've encountered so far from the genre.

‘Dy-Na-Mi-Tee’ was the standout track here, but the rest of the album was dated, bloated, and pales in comparison to other hiphop artists. By the end it just sounded like if Fran Dresher discovered rap… 2.25/5

Ms. Dynamite har jeg virkelig aldri hørt om. Ikke produsentene eller features heller. // wheeeeeeeww!!!!!!!! herreguuud dette elsker jeg høydepunkt: Dy-Na-Mi-Tee, Brother, It Takes More, Krazy Khrush lowlights: Afraid 2 Fly ble litt for meget men respekterer det

I was more of a Mis-Teeq fan back in the day and never listened to more than Dy-Na-Mi-Tee back in the day. This album did actually dig deeper than I expected (hah), but not much. It's decent if you're into your British r'n'b. Watch Over Them was kinda surprising due to it being acapella but then it slid back into electronic music. By the time A Lil Deeper slides round I felt a bit disappointed. Oh!! Hidden track at the end! OK this is the nostalgia hit I needed.

Following everyone’s nightmare aka “bland” british indie rock (aka one of the genres I actually like), came the nightmare that nobody would expect: bland british hip hop. And just like everybody here I petition replacing this with something else from 2002. and I just happen to have the best choice: “Songs For The Deaf” by queen of the stone age. 2/5

Best Song: Dy-Na-Mi-Tee. This is a great pop song, that definitely should have been more popular than it was. Love the playful chorus. Worst Song: Watch Over Them. In typical early 00's pop fashion, there is some obligation to interrupt an otherwise upbeat pop album with some stripped down, preachy, socially-conscious ballad. How did the artist not listen to the transition from this song to the next one and not think that it was an egregious tonal shift? Overall: An interesting mix of great R&B-tinged pop, but unfortunately interwoven with some Britney/Christina era tracks that make it feel more dated.

Not my type of music and I've heard much better in this genre. Feels badly aged. Couple of ok tracks at the beginning.

Pretty ordinary album. Begins well and trails off. Some songs go on too long. I haven't thought of this album in twenty years, then it appeared on the generator today, the I watched Harry Hill's podcast on YouTube and the comedian Stewart Lee was challenged S.A.R.A.H. an AI robot that lists his favourite music,, as The Fall, Giant Sand, Calexico and Ms Dynmite, Challenged on the latter Lee points out that it was an interview from 25 years ago and he needed to add somethong he loked that was in the charts but now "sounds like a really strange thing to admit to." Harry then sings Put Him Out accompaning himself on swanny whistle, clapper, duck calls etc, Its better than the version on album. People ask why this is in the book. It was a big album in Britain at the time and this is a British book written for the British market. It rather unexpectedly won the Mercury Award and sold well on the back of that. The book was published a year or so later. They chose a current big lp. They didn’t have the hindsight to see it would not become a classic 20 years later. A few years on that was clear and the record was removed from later editions. For me the problem with this lp it isn’t especially English. I like music that feels like it comes from a particular place. The Mercury Award that year should have gone to Original Pirate Material which is undisputably about being young and English and urban. Ms Dynamite could be American and there are Americans who do this sort of thing better.

Well, this one's a bit of a flash in the pan, isn't it? I guess the UK thought Ms. Dynamite here was going to be huge before fading into obscurity. It's no wonder this thing was included on the list seeing as it won the Mercury Prize just 3 years prior to this album list being made. The people behind this list really care about the Mercury Prize it seems. Every album that one the prize from 1999 to 2008 is included on this list. That's dumb, and it leads to albums being included that have been forgotten to time. But should A Little Deeper be among them? Does this album deserve to be forgotten to time, or should it have actually been as big as the UK music journalists once thought? Eh. The album's good, but it doesn't really do anything that special. I'll give A Little Deeper this. It is far from the worst UK hip-hop album of the list. It's much better than the Streets, that's for sure. Is it the best UK hip-hop album of the list? No. It's not even the best UK hip-hop album from a woman on the list. The Little Simz album was quite a bit better than this. However, there are things that I enjoyed here. I think Ms. Dynamite's voice is nice. She's got a good style to her singing and rapping. I will say that, aside from a few features, brief moments, and the production at times, this doesn't really scream "British" on first listen. Like, I could see my mom listening to this, and she listens to, like, Megan Thee Stallion and the Ying Yang Twins. But, there are those things that I mentioned. The production especially has some major UK Garage elements that felt kinda jarring at first. The writing is pretty interesting. Ms. Dynamite is kinda like a British Lauryn Hill in a way. This album isn't nearly as good as Lauryn Hill's album, but I digress. This is definitely a woman's album, which I have nothing against. Admittedly, I can see why people were interested in this on release. It's good, and while this kind of thing had already been done in the US, it must've been cool for the UK music journalists to see an artist from their home turf making something like this for once. However, I can also see why it hasn't really remained relevant. It's got good songs and writing and such, but sometimes you just have those flash-in-the-pan artists and musical moments that you can look back on fondly if you were there, but that aren't going to be making waves much in the long-term. I do actually like this one quite a bit though. Strong 3/5.

This was fine

Pretty solid. Reminds me of a more reggae Lauren Hill.

This album definitely made me feeeeel somethiiiiin.

Very groovy and feel good. Great pot shop music honestly - listened to this one entirely on the sound system at work. There was maybe one song in there I disliked but the rest felt great and flowed well together.

Honestly better than I expected, this is a solid hiphop/r&b album. It definitely feels like an early 2000s album

Interesting guitar with a nice amount of jazz and reggae influence made this album more interesting and enjoyable than your average pop rap R&B album. Ms. Dynamite's vocals are smooth and the backup vocals provided by a variety of other artists compliment the music well. The a capella track was a nice reprieve near the middle of the album and allowed Dynamite's vocals to shine without the support of the band.

"A Little Deeper" is a fusion of different genres, most of which aren't really my thing, nonetheless they were performed well. I found the opening of the album quite pleasant, especially the breezy vibes of 'Dy-Na-Mi-Tee'. However, there are some really nice pop melodies to be found, particularly on 'Put Him Out'. The vocals are certainly distinctive - Ms. Dynamite has a very specific sound in her upper register that feels almost 'helium-infused' at times. Overall, the production and mix are high quality. If this is your preferred style of music, you’d likely rate it higher, but I’m not hearing anything truly ground-breaking here. The album is a tad over long as well. Three stars. 1 "Natural High (Interlude)" (3/5) 2 "Dy-Na-Mi-Tee" (4/5) 3 "Anyway U Want It" (featuring Keon Bryce) (3/5) 4 "Put Him Out" (3/5) 5 "Brother" (2/5) 6 "It Takes More" (Bloodshy Main Mix) (3/5) 7 "Sick 'n' Tired" (3/5) 8 "Afraid 2 Fly" (3/5) 9 "Watch Over Them" (2/5) 10 "Seed Will Grow" (featuring Kymani Marley) (3/5) 11 "Krazy Krush" (3/5) 12 "Now U Want My Love" (3/5) 13 "Too Experienced" (featuring Barrington Levy) (3/5) 14 "Gotta Let U Know" (3/5) 15 "All I Ever" (3/5) 16 "A Little Deeper"/"Get Up, Stand Up" (Pregap Track) (3/5) Total - 47 Average - 2.94 222/1001 125/222 albums reviewed were new to me.

Some decent sounds on here, but not my thing and too long

dfdf

This was okay. I really liked Dy-Na-Mi-Tee. I vaguely remember it from when I was a kid. I also enjoyed the duet with Kymani Marley. Other than those two it was okay. It’s very of its time, and to be frank I am not sure why it’s on this list of albums you must hear before you die. Over all not a bad album, but not a stand out.

I was expecting fluffy R&B and this isn’t that.

I was interested at first but that faded as it went through

Wasn't for me at the time and still isn't.

Lyrics were a little lame

Pretty good sounds! Definitely some stand outs.

Takes me back to happier, less cynical times. Love the energy of this, and Dynamite’s voice. Great tunes, positive message, with plenty of hooks, and just enough production polish. What’s not to love?

This sounds very dated now. It's a sugar rush of an album that is very smooth. Almost too smooth. The vocals are sharp, she can clearly sing. It's still a bit of a timewarp listen.

Favorite track: Sick ‘n’ Tired

I am only 20 deep on this journey, and in certain instances I have had moments of - holy crap, how have I never heard this song before. This happened multiple times here. Legit.

There are a thousand other artists that sound exactly like her: or vice versa. There's nothing original about out these tracks even though they are musically listenable. If something is going to be on this list, it should be for innovation of influence. This isn't either one.

Pretty solid. Pleasantly surprised.

A lot better than expected. I LOVE a good vocalist/rapper, and although some of this didn't "age" well musically, I'm a fan of a solid beat. This was fun. Wouldn't revisit the whole thing but there were a good chunk of songs I enjoyed.

Very reminiscent of its time

ganz oker hiphop, auf dauer aber anstrengend

Great

Dy-na-mi-tee aside it was a little disappointing (and too long)

This is a good pop album. Good production, not too long, also because it is nicely diverse in songwriting.

I liked it more than I thought I would. Wouldn't own the record but liked listening.

4.5/5 This surprised and thrilled me. A wonderful and modern mixing of musical influences. Clearly exists primarily in the Hip-Hop/R&B genre, but draws heavily from all over - reggae, jazz, Latin, tango. Nods to Amy Winehouse and Outkast. And all of it feels like authentic and loving incorporation, not aping styles you don't understand for novelty. The instrumentation and production were fantastic. No lazy shortcuts. If a live instrument is the right choice, they use one. No lazy samples. I'm very tempted to give this a 5/5, but don't know if it quite rises that high. So a strong 4.5/5.

I was expecting just like generic 2000s rap, and it was delivered, but I was pleasantly surprised by the substance of the lyrics. Need more of this even in 2026. Sabrina Carpenter (love her) and other pop stars are out here making male incompetency sound glamorous and silly. They preach high tolerance and low standards. Ms. Dynamite nailed it on the nose with her depictions of loving yourself and advocating for your community

From what I gathered, R'n'B singers seem to really like babies Anyway, powerful start, there are some really good songs in here, and despite being an hour long it didn't bore me, although some of the later songs were meh and brought the average down

Middling

A passable R&B album that sort of put me a little in mind of Craig David. Nice vocal, well produced but forgettable.

7/10

Buen disco de hip-hop, soul con toques de pop, funk y electrònica. Para tener de fondo tomando una copa . Me ha recordado a Lauryn Hill de Fugees

The album is serviceable, but I’m def not the target audience. 2 stars, not bad but I considered skipping some of the tracks

Sounds like what would happen if Amy Winehouse leaned a little heavier towards R&B.

A few numbers are catchy, but it was challenging to listen to a second time, as her soul is not for me.

I kinda liked this one! 3.5*, rounding up due to the rarity of hip-hop I enjoy. More variety in the music and talent in the song-writing.

It takes moreeeeee and night after nightttttt were vibey, but we’re rating albums

Made me want to learn some of the lyrics and sing along…

Eh... kinda generic, nothing really made me want to listen to this again.

More like Ms. Firecracker. Her rapping is weak and her singing is weaker, and all of her songs sound the same. Dynamite is a long shot. She should change her name.

It has its moments. Dy-Na-Mi-Tee is catchy and stands out. As an album I found it needlessly long. I suppose it would be good to have on at a party, but I don’t want to sit and listen.

some parts of this I really like and it tapers off towards the end

High 3

Not really my sort of thing but I enjoyed bits of it. Will probably never seek this out again though.

I have a playlist called “remedial hip hop” where I try to collect all the gems I missed over the years due to internalized boundaries of genre and race. When I heard this album, I enjoyed it enough to put the title track on the list. And there was a friendly funkiness I enjoyed across all the tracks. But at the same time, I’ve heard enough hip hop at this point that the critiques of the album expressed by other reviewers hit home. It does kind of feel like your friend who everyone said would be the next Lauryn Hill… you can still like them even if that didn’t turn out to be true. That’s kind of how I felt about this… enjoyable but not life-changing

This album was ok bordering on good. But nothing special. I liked the more Caribbean influenced tracks and the vocals but the lyrics were pretty corny at times and the flow a bit choppy

Outside of some of the "conscious" lyrics, there is nothing really noteworthy at all. Getting a "Why is this on the list?" score of 1

A Little Deeper was a pretty good album. I haven't heard all that much of Ms. Dynamite other than a song that she featured in (Dj Fresh and Jay Fay's Dibby Dibby Sound) but this Hip-Hop with a bit of electronic sounds mixed in is more or less what i was expecting from her. As for the songs, there are some good ones and some meh ones. The beats themselves could be pretty good at their best and forgettable and boring at worst. The lyrics here do have some of the typical kinda juvenile themes you would expect from rap music but they at least weren't the dumbest things i have heard. This album isn't amazing but it does what it sets out to do pretty well. Best Song: It Takes More Worst Song: A Lil Deeper

arenbijevsko repništvo... eh. blago naporno, zastarjelo

I enjoyed this

This sort of thing ain't my bag, baby.

There are too many Mercury Prize winners on this list that are questionable. I mostly enjoyed this album but I think it is a pale version of Lauryn Hill, the Fugees, and Erykah Badu. We already saw Lauryn Hill's record, so maybe the author just likes this R&B mashup style and time period a lot. We are probably going to see more of them. I might have rated this 3 stars but it was way too long. I would have cut 4 or 5 songs.

This genre has a low ceiling for me. Didn't finish.

Ms. Dynamite: A Little Deeper Ms. Dynamite’s debut is a thoughtful exploration of social struggle and feminism, echoing the conscious spirit of Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation. While her perspective is vital and her message is clear, the album suffers from a tonal disconnect. The production—a polished fusion of R&B, Reggae, and UK Garage—is technically solid but often feels too upbeat for the weight of the subject matter. This creates a friction where the urge to dance distracts from the "serious story" being told. It is a decent project with strong intentions, but the production ultimately prevents the lyrical depth from fully landing.

Not exactly self-effacing, but ultimately unassuming, Ms. Dynamite makes sure you know that she's a dynamiter out of self-defense: 'But the more that I learned / I found a guidin' light / That showed me the need to fight.' It isn't clear what she's fighting against, but I have no reason not to believe her, and when she's schooling her sister on the ugly ways of men ('Put Him Out'), I'm moved to join the anthem. She's more a dependable family-first + chicks-before-dicks kind of lady than she is an explosive character, tho her moniker suggests otherwise. The problem is that her voice and song-writing abilities aren't singular ('Dy-Na-Mi-Tee' is the only treasured find). And the bigger problem is that Amy Winehouse would emerge a year later.

Starts great, peters out along the way. It's alright albeit too long.

ik kan uit het blote hoofd 1001 platen opnoemen die belangrijker en/of beter zijn dat dit

Okay so I actually enjoyed the beats and the groove. However, this didn't bring any major new elements that I haven't heard before. I don't usually go for this type of music and this didn't change my mind.

so good!

Sick asf

Eh. Weh. Meh.

pretty good clone of “the miseducation of lauryn hill.” silly, vapid lyrics. but the music has back bone. reggae and rap and santana guitar. classic 90s/00s pop. enjoyed.

A couple of decent tracks, but far too long with far too much filler to be good

Not bad but not really my thing. Dy-Na-Mi-Tee is not only a FIFA 03 classic, but an all-time top track tbf.

Climb out from your own ass with the hidden tracks. It was alright

No no no no no, the flow is so weird…

Never heard of this artist. Cool stuff so far. Very chill hip hop. almost r&b-ish. Pretty cool stuff. Not something I'd go out of my way but I dig it.

The only thing I previously knew Ms. Dynamite from was the song she did with David Guetta, Showtek & Elliphant in 2014 ("No Money No Love"), so it was cool to hear her in her element on A Litttle Deeper. Honestly not the most memorable album in the world, but it's got a few good tunes and is never outright bad. Listening to the LP also made me want to check out a couple of the collabs she's done with SHY FX – they've made some real bangers! Highlights: Dy-Na-Mi-Tee, Put Him Out, Brother, It Takes More (Bloodshy Main Mix), Krazy Krush, Get Up Stand Up

Some classic tracks here. Great feminist hip-hop soul album

This is not my jam. But I didn’t hate it. I’d give it 3.5 if I could. That cruisey, RnB feel with some great (and wholesome) lyricism.

Not for me

A great groove to these songs and a strong message of self empowerment. Enjoying this album. I particularly like her hit out at misogynistic male rappers, not someone to be messed with.

I enjoyed it quite a lot but I did find myself fighting against a 4 because it was samey rather than cohesive.

Half the album is 4, but half is 1 or 2.

Fine. A little trite.

Great lead single, but not much more to enjoy. Reminds me of Lauryn Hill at times, but not coming close

Another plane ride, another rap album. This one is nothing special and is just 2000s British rap, a genre I have not really listened to before, but I am familiar with its popularity over there. Listened on low volume for most of it.

My first thought? Oh here comes the equal opportunity pick. 2nd thought? This isn’t some of that raggaton shit is it? It’s not 3rd thought? This is better than Missy Elliott. Whatever that means. It’s better than Beyoncé, that was evident right off the bat. No similarity in sound FYI 4th thought? She would do better to not have some wimpy voice dude sing with her. She carries the songs. When a sappy low test dude starts singing it really makes the song skippable. 5th thought? There’s some early Pink sounding shit on here. Which is fine. 6th thought? Some of these lyrics are cheesy as hell. If the beats weren’t so good this would be in the discount bin before you could say that Eminem is trash and can only rap in an angry voice. 7th thought? Opinion formed. I am more impressed than I was at the start. Just don’t do this to me again 1001 album…… Choice cut: It Takes More (cheesy lyrics and all)

😴😴😴

Not really a wow for me , nice vibes and catchy beat tho. Also gave me Ms Lauryn Hill vibes .

Not like bad, just not my type, i would give it 2.5/5 closer to 2

Honestly I really liked this. I’m surprised I knew nothing about it. I’m definitely gonna be listening to it much more. But I don’t think it’s a groundbreaking pop rap album.It’s a 3.5/5

It was different, seemed more raw, liked the style and reminded me of amy's frank for some reason. A 3.6 for me.

I wanted to love this album. Hell, I wanted to *like* this album. But it was a total and utter flop for me. First, her vocals are SO nasally that every word she says is like nails on a chalkboard. But what about the samples and beats? Surely there must be redeeming qualities there? Nope. Samples are awkward and fit poorly (see the DY-NO-MITE sample on "Dy-Na-Mi-Tee"), and the beats are paper thin (see "Put Him Out"). On top of that the run time was over an hour, making this a truly miserable experience. The lyrical content can be very good l, and have important themes about feminism, racism and systemic injustice, but the package that they're wrapped in is so painfully mediocre there is no impact because I can only focus on how poor the music sounds. 1.4/5 -> 1/5

Tee Hee!

I'm really digging the reggae and hip-hop mix, it's very laid back and reminds me of some trip-hop. The more R&B based songs aren't really hitting for me as R&B has never really resonated with me. The political lyrics give the music give a greater sense of purpose. Her voice is enjoyable, albeit a little nasally. Ultimately, I think i'd put this at a 3.5 but since I can't, I have to give it a 3 as I wouldn't quite give it a 4.

At what point is this supposed to go a little deeper than what's expected from this kind of genre? Eventually, these lyrics become monotone to my ears and I find myself just listening to the instrumentals, a habit I find myself doing when I get drowned by monotonous lyrics.

I don’t understand why this is an essential album to be quite honest.

2002 fifa vibes

Smooth R&B. Fine to listen to but not my thing. It might be a 3 but I'm not the best judge on this.

Pretty standard issue RnB infused hip hop, sounds like a lot of the music that dominated the radio and charts around the late 2000. The most distinctive and best best bit of this is the organic instrumentation with horns and clean jazzy guitars creating a lively warm soul sound, like a rap Amy Winehouse.

Quite boring.

Really liked this one. Great melodies and rhythm.

That was surprisingly enjoyable. Totally not what I would ever choose to play, but I can now confidently say that I would never complain about it being played.

I’m going to give this a 4 because I saw the album cover and I was not excited, but it was a pleasant listen.

3 estrelas

Its fine but feels dated and lacks an edge for me

Based on the wiki and the reviews I expected to find this super dull but I find myself here defending it and its inclusion. As a staunch non-rap fan I’ve sat through a bunch of albums already that have sounded pretty damn similar to me, a constant flow of guns, drugs, n words and bitches. So what I really liked about this is the perspective. Female, anti drug, anti domestic violence and disrespect. And hey maybe there are others that do that better - as I’ve said I don’t come into this with much pre-existing knowledge about rap at all but showing the other side of what’s depicted in the stereotypical rap album I found an interesting dialogue with it, or at least a refreshing take. Not to say the list overall isn’t overwhelmingly and underwhelmingly British, and that based on global appeal, impact and acclaim this album deserves a spot, I’m not saying that, but marking it up an extra 1 because hell I can

I've never listened to this album (69). Pretty good! Reminds me of Amy Winehouse in a more pronounced hip-hop/RnB direction.

Impressive. New to me and caught me from the first few notes. I will dig...a little deeper. ;-)

Well produced, ok tier

R& B, hip hop

British hip-hop

It’s not bad. It’s just vanilla R&B. The bulk of the music I’ve listened to on this list (currently 1/3 the way through) is so average and boring. I’m disillusioned with the authors and their choices.

I really liked it actually but it suffers from that CD era problem of being too long. An hour is crazy

Most of the songs range from mediocre to pretty decent, though there were two songs near the end that were so annoying I had to skip. Not a stand-out in terms of quality or writing, and doesn’t bring anything new to the table. Hardly a must-listen.

Di-Na-Mi-Tee is entrancing me--wow, what an opener. The rest reminds me (nicely) of The Fugees-style approach to social commentary, hip-hop, R&B soul. It Takes More is perfect. Now U Want hypnotic.

When this first came out, I really did not care for it. Whenever I heard her on the radio, I couldn’t help saying Miss dynamite, tee hee! I suppose I warmed to it a little more today but I still felt that it was unoriginal and tedious.

I liked this album, and it's better than a 3, though I tired of the medium-tempo beats that just kept following one another. Ms. Dynamiteee is cool and the material was personal and told a story and gave a window into the artist's life. That kept this interesting. It did go on longer than necessary — cutting this down to 50 minutes would have made a difference, and I think the title track was my least favorite on the album.

This was all right. Cool production and I like her vocals, but it also felt a little safe, maybe? i'm between a 3 and a 4 on this. ah, screw it, let's go 4. i like her vibe.

I liked this! More like 3.5

Pretty good beats

This list so clearly was made by someone from the UK. Sounds fine. Nice debut album. Not on the list for sure.

This is a fine example of this kind of music but forgettable. Doesn't stand the test of time compared to artists like Mariah Carey, Destiny's Child, Mary J. Blige, or TLC.

2.5

Some good tracks but overall disappointing

Iconic title song.

Strong hip hop presence with a good, slow flow. The beats are interesting.

Never heard of this artist before, pleasantly surprised. I like her strong voice, and the beats use interesting sounds (bandoneon?!). I did drift midway though, perhaps there are too many songs on this album.

Drum and bass 👎 Drum and bass with gorgeous vocals 👍

I’d never heard of this artist before this project. I was hopeful, but found myself disappointed. She’s got a good voice, clearly has some decent messaging, and has some fun beats and samples, but it just didn’t grab me. The slower R&B stuff wasn’t at all what I was into. The rap was better but nothing I’d come back to.

Dollar store Mary J. Blige. The lyrics are corny and oftentimes preachy. I don't know why it's listed under electronica on this site when the only thing this has in common with electronica is that it's terrible.

I do not know how Ms. Dynamite is perceived in her home context, but this album betrays her name and feels a little safe and shallow at times. A Little Deeper? Not Deep Enough.

fun and full of attitude

Maybe if this album had been half as long it wouldn't have become so turgid and boring by the time it got to the end. There were a couple of half-decent tracks at the start, but then it descended into generic and dated R&B. Two stars seems slightly generous.

Sounds a bit like Ms. Hill.

Það má alveg hafa þetta í gangi í bakgrunni, og sumt er smá töff. En þetta er aðeins of einhæft til að ég kalli plötuna rúman þrist, og ekki nægilega mikil mín tónlist til að ég hendi í annan umgang á Youtube.

This was so much better than I anticipated.

No idea mang

6/10 Favourite: Dy-Na-Mi-Tee Least Favourite: Krazy Krush

Woulda enjoyed some of the songs if not for the strained, pitchy, nasal singing

Saw "Lauryn Hill" as one of the tags, and it's pretty spot on. Just take her and give her a slight Jamaican bend to her singing, and you got Ms. Dynamite. Luckily, I'm a bit of a sucker for Reggae, so this style resonates with me. I might need to explore this "Ragga" genre a bit more. I need a song for the playlist, and I think "Dy-Na-Mi-Tee" will take that honor. It gives me ICP vibes ironically. I'd have added the opening interlude as it's a banger, but at only 50 seconds long, I can't justify it.

A fine go hip hop album. I'll echo the sentiment of Lauren Hill vibes.

Winehouse vibe only positive not but lacks Amy's passion. It's not my genre, so cannot really compare to anything. Like most rap - repetitive. some funky beats, and the obligatory expletives.

alright

Nothing revolutionary, but I have a soft spot for actively British sounding rap Best Song: Dy-Na-Mi-Te Rating: 6/10 Stars: 3

Solid work from Ms Dynamite. Nice beats and she can sing.

Don't remember this artist, but a couple of tracks (Dy-Na-Mi-Tee) triggered memories so it must have been out there. It was OK

Not not enjoyable.

Enjoyed this one, loved the hip/hop/reggae vibes. Favorite Song(s): Dy-Na-Mi-Tee

It's a constant hit and miss. Not a solid album.

Haven't given Ms Dynamite any thought before or since hearing on on 'Lights On' in 2011, so wwas quite suprised to find this album on here. Was pleasantly suprised by the variety in sound - at its best moments its found like Nelly Furtado and Lauryn Hill. The main issue is that the album goes on too long, with too many forgettable songs, and some of the lyricism did make me chuckle

Nice production but the second half is way worse than the first

Musically it was kinda cool, especially the first couple songs. Overall not for me though.

at its worst there's middling r&b with that 2000's sentimentality that just feels distractingly corny today, at its best there are some REALLY sick and creative beats that prop up some complete bangers. favorite songs are Put Him Out, Afraid 2 Fly, and Krazy Krush. All I Ever is also pretty lovely. 3.5/5 because i am a sexist

Rating: 4/10 Doesn’t exactly get grouped into r&b slop, it’s technically proficient enough, but I still find it forgettable. And I don’t think anyone outside of a specific group of British r&b fans from the early 2000’s really knows or remembers who Ms. Dynamite is.

meh 4.5/10

Sounds like background music that doesn't have any real impact. Early 2000s hip-hop slop. 4 explosions out of 10 sadie sorceress-es

Not my genre but not unenjoyable

File under: Yes, this is also an album.

kind of middle of the road for me, but it was a fine listen and I can certainly appreciate where it was coming from (particularly for the time).

I don’t know why I never listened to this album sooner. I really enjoyed it

Ramp is FERDA why was the straight heat saved for the second to last track of the album...

Dated production and aesthetic, with some eyeball roll-worthy lyrics. And the instrumental on "Afraid 2 Fly" is one of the worst I've ever heard. Feels like listening to a P!nk album, but without the hooks that made her worth listening to, so essentially, I'm saying she's just a poor man's P!nk. Yep.

Ms Dynamite - now that’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time. And I say that as someone who owns this album. There’s some filler, but the best tracks have held up much better than I was expecting. It’s a promising debut, so it’s a shame she never really delivered on it.

I never heard of Ms. Dynamite before, but I can't say I didn't like it, and even knew some of the songs ("Dy-a-mi-tee", "Seed Will Grow") they probably ended up somewhere on a playlist of mine, but to say this belong to the list of "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die", well, no. It's definitely pleasant though, I like the flow, the reggae tinted songs and the nineties R'n'B sound, which reminds me of Lauryn Hill and the likes. "Krazy Krush" has that late 90s/early 2000s American R&B girl group vibe- the smooth harmonies, the relationship drama theme, the polished production. It could have easily fit on a TLC or Destiny's Child album from that era, although it is a bit more edgy than the forementioned girl groups. Another track that stands out, apart from "Dy-na-mite", is "Now U Want My Love", it's a great example of how she blended styles. The reggae influence running through the album really sets it apart from American R&B of the time, it's distinctly British in how it weaves together garage, 2-step, reggae, and R&B. Although I won't play it on repeat, I'll keep the album. 3/5

Not bad, not my thing but good example

I forgot about her. I'm pretty sure a poster of hers was hanging in my old school. Best songs: All I Ever, Anyway U Want It

I think the highlight of this album is when "All I Ever" shifts to instrumental.

Var egentlig veldig fornøyd når 2000-tallet var over, musikkmessig

Ikke helt for meg heller

Glaub auch 2

Surprisingly good. Great beats. I thought it might be too British but actually not so much. This is a good one for this list because if it was not on there I wouldn’t ever have known about it.

= the Beatles

Impressive lyricism.

Smart, charming rhymes but the beats and general songwriting style feels a but thin and pedestrian.

I’m just not a rap / R&B guy… not my jam at all.

She has a cool voice between Lauryn Hill and Nelly Furtado, starts with production more interesting than what I would have thought for early 2000s hip hop but loses steam and is ultimately fine but not great. Some very average 2000s some interesting

Guess you call it street music. Her vocals and songs , not bad. Leave the rap crap out.

2.1 Her voice is nice. That's as far as my compliments go for this album. Other than that it's a tepid boring affair. Inoffensive but also just uninspiring. Not as bad as a lot of the other shite hip hop on here but really could have done without listening to the full hour of this in my life

This is so dated.

Oof.

Great ladies right and empowerment album. But musically not for me.

It’s actually quite good. Not MIA good, but still pretty good. I’ve never heard of this person before, but apparently this album won the Mercury award. I know that’s supposed to be an achievement, but knowing Radiohead has never won a Mercury award means I cannot take them serious and therefore disregard that accolade entirely. Anyway, 3.5.

Jamaican jazz cat be like "Ja man" I love mystery dungeon

She has much better albums that should be on this list.

Good RnB album, but nothing about it was a must-hear.

Listens: 2 Standout Tracks: Krazy Krush This album reminds me of Lilly Allen's album Alright Still; Especially British, but instead of a Pop emphasis, an R&B one. But while Alright Still is a guilty pleasure, Ms. Dynamite's debut album... isn't. With the exception of a few beats and maybe one or two tracks, I was both not impressed and not interested. I suppose it wasn't as bad as Destiny's Child's Survivor or Neneh Cherry's Raw Like Sushi, but still not great. I am sensing a pattern here - not really a fan of the rhythm and bass genre. The one track I did really enjoy Krazy Krush (God, I do not miss the 2000s warped spelling of all the words) has a quite catchy beat, that made me want to put it on repeat for a bit - mind you, I didn't do that, but I thought about it.

Nej tack. Inte min kopp te. Lite för ointressant. Saknar sköna hits.

Tycker den började hyfsat bra med ett par bra låtar här och där (t ex introt, Put him out, It takes more och Sick n tired) , men jösses vad segdraget och slätstruket det blev mot slutet. Alldeles för lång skiva som hade kunnat kapas med åtminstone en tredjedel, kanske mer. En svag trea blir ett generöst betyg med tanke på det.

London hip hop and reggae influenced artist. Really positive lyrics good vibes - will listen to again.

Average R and B.

This was dynamite. Confident, smart, and full of groove. “Anyway U Want It” and “Gotta Let U Know” were my faves, but honestly, I’d vibe to this whole album with a glass of red and a good book any Friday night.

Forgot all about this... good stuff

7/10

If it was 2010 or before, and I was from the UK, I might understand this album being on this list. Apparently it won the Mercury Prize. And hey, it’s a pretty good early 2000s R&B album with elements of hip hop and dancehall. But I mean, I’d rather listen to Missy Elliott or Ciara or Lauryn Hill any day. This just couldn’t hold a candle to those ladies IMO, plus no one remembers it or has heard of it lol.

fanns mycket bra, men kände mig lite skriven på näsan textmässigt :/

Några OTROLIGT svängiga låtar, men faller lite i kvaliteten på mitten och ibland lite "preachy". Men bra budskap, och jag gillar verkligen tidig 2000-tals produktionen. Några låtar är verkligen peak

It was fine. Not special.

Good enough. Never heard before.

Some nice bits. Nothing terrible. Feels a bit dated, maybe. This won the Mercury Prize. Probably says more about that prize than this album. In truth, this is a 2.5 star album. I'll decide whether I round up or down in the morning.

4/10 On first listen, I quite enjoyed this. As with most of these albums, my first run through happens while I’m lying in bed reading, so I can get into the vibe. As background music, I was putting this somewhere in the 5-6 range. It’s not groundbreaking necessarily, but it’s got some decent grooves, her voice is good and it’s fairly inoffensive. The more I listened to it, however, the less value I saw in it. There are elements of musicians that I really enjoyed here, like Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu as particular examples, but it all felt a little bit lightweight by comparison, and there often wasn’t enough range or depth to the compositions to really expand on the base ideas and develop a really rewarding experience with a more focused ear. It really feels like there are a bunch of half decent starting points, but they are rarely developed into something beyond that, which is a big shame. I wouldn’t say this was bad overall, but it was definitely over-long and could have benefitted from the editors blade slicing a few tracks away entirely, and cutting some of the more repetitive ones down. I also kind of wonder what an album between Ms Dynamite and her brother Akala could be, as I felt that the hidden track really showed potential and was one of the strongest things on the album. Natural High (Interlude) - Can you have an interlude before anything else has started? I don’t think so. Bit of a dub edge to this, which is nice. Dy-Na-Mi-Tee - The big single, and I’ve probably heard this a thousand times without ever playing it myself. It’s always bothered me that the chorus bit after ‘dynamite-ee-hee’ is flat. It’s a decent enough pop song other than that though. Anyway U Want It - This is fairly boilerplate R&B. Some nice flute lines, and it bounces along nicely enough, but it’s hardly that memorable. Put Him Out - This has got a bit more zip to it and has my toes tapping. This chorus is so 00’s though, and it’s pretty Missy Elliot lite. Some of the piano stuff adds a nice bit of range to the sound, but again, it’s not one that’s going to stick with me. Brother - A song about Akala! This is a decent slice of life from working class London. It doesn’t offer a great deal of variety, but it’s well produced and her voice is great. A nice little down-tempo offering. It Takes More (Bloodshy Main Mix) - This is quite Lauryn Hill. I mean, it’s not as good, but it’s not bad either. The bass sound is pretty cool and her vocal delivery is quality. It’s got a solid groove too. The rapping section is good too. Like it. Sick 'N' Tired - She’s got good flow. That main riff is a bit too repetitive and irritating. But the rest of the track has got a nice blend of legato and staccato texture. It’s a shame the verse and chorus don’t have much to differentiate them, which makes this drag. Afraid 2 Fly - The string samples are bad, hurried and don’t fit. There’s also some weird, noisy samples that just make this sound cluttered. This is a miss. Nothing that grabs me and poor production, should have hit the cutting room floor. And its too bloody long! Watch Over Them - This kind of feels weird as a straight acapella, because it really sounds like she was singing to a backing track that was then removed. It was ok, I suppose. Seed Will Grow - One of Bob Marley’s many kids appears here. This has got a nice bounce to it. It’s not got a vast amount of variety to it, but the duet nature of it gives it a bit of extra interest and the groove is good. There’s not enough depth to hold up to too much close scrutiny though. Krazy Krush - Again, this has got a decent groove to it, but it’s pretty thin. The initial idea is ok, but it just keeps on doing the same thing the whole way through which doesn’t really keep the attention, which is a shame. Now U Want My Love - A bit of a reggae edge to this, but here voice isn’t at its best. Again, the base of this track is pretty decent and it’s a nice little chilled album track that’s got a decent groove, but doesn’t develop a great deal. Too Experienced - Well this one is rubbish. The synth sounds are really odd choices. It all just seems like a weird bunch of sounds chucked together, rather than a song. There are some nice bits in the vocal delivery from both of them, but the instrumentation is terrible. Gotta Let U Know - I think I’m getting tired of this by now. This is pretty uninspired stuff and I feel like I don’t remember ever hearing this before, despite the fact that I’ve heard this album three times today. It’s just pedestrian and uninspiring. All I Ever - This one feels aimless too. The chorus is pretty bland, but ok for what it is. The verses are a bit weird and lack any sort of direction. The guitar part just sound like someone doing some weird arpeggiation exercise, rather than playing a song. A Little Deeper/Get Up, Stand Up - This is again, quite nice, but it never goes anywhere. It feels like a proper beat wants to come in, but it never does. Nice enough, but nothing special. The hidden track is pretty good. Great flow from Akala. The production is decent, and the combination of his rapping and her vocal is really good. I reckon an album of the two of them together could be really good.Probably the best thing on here.

A few duds, but otherwise a strong album

Oh look, it won the Mercury Prize. I look forward to being underwhelmed by this. *remains underwhelmed for 61 minutes* Sure, I get that there's an argument that this was reasonably significant in the UK at the time. Definitely brought that "urban / R&B" sound closer to the majority of mainstream listeners and no argument that some of this is still kinda catchy, Dy-Na-Mi-Tee especially. But come ON, there is no argument for it being on this list. Unless you think the Mercury Music Prize makes it so. Which is silly.

Some good and some bad, but way too inconsistent to get above a 2 for me.

I was actually very pleasantly surprised with this since I had never heard of Ms. Dynamite. Seems like solid hip-hop/r&b of the time. Can't say I'll ever listen to it again but I'm glad I did.