Pyrelli - Vitamin A: A Twist of Fate

Pyrelli and Sway's monster Up Your Speed track brought the North London MC to mainstream attention, building on the reputation he had gained as a member of the One collective. Like Sway, Pyrelli is a talented rapper with an interesting flow, and his determination to produce both party tracks like Can't Be Asked and more gangster-oriented material like Full Burst does him credit. He has a breadth and diversity that marks him as someone who might succeed in the rap game - but perversely this is what ruins Vitamin A as an album. The self-aggrandizing rhymes are often lazy in their subject matter, adopting the braggadocio of mainstream US rap'n'bullshit rather than the hyper-intelligent storytelling of Wiley and Dizzee. Grime's lasting impact has been developing a distinctly British sound and syntax. In the light of this, Pyrelli's attempts to link back to the heritage of G-funk, r&b and new jack swing seem anachronistic. He's not a bad rapper, but this album is dead on arrival. [Trank Sinatra]