Gav Livz - Twenty's Plenty

Gav Livz makes a big noise, and certainly has the confidence it takes to be an MC, but his album lacks any immediate appeal, and the second and third listens don't do much more. His beats sound like they were made using one of those sample packs found all over the net, perfect if you're aiming for Generica of the American school. It's a shame, because he has some skills as an MC which deserve better. He can flow, and he's comfortable enough with his own dialect to play around with it, with a natural delivery throughout. He plays with character too, but unfortunately it's a pretty unexciting cast that Livz in Gav. The lack of interesting chat hampers him generally, and he seems to keep coming back to his favourite subject: himself. But while he has little of any real interest to say, he certainly knows how to say it. It's an empty sort of poetry, but has scope to impress Scottish hip-hop fans nonetheless. [Mark Shelley]