Kid Acne - Romance Ain't Dead

The image of a town crier that festoons the front of this release is a fairly apt one. Kid Acne is very much placing himself as the voice of the people, and many of his chorus chants would work well bellowed on a street corner. The beats are a mixture of passe hip-hop sensibilities with modern production style, and it works for him. With his bizarre south Yorks accent, Kid is pretty memorable. When his lyrics are examined too closely though it doesn't always live up to his alter ego's name, Eddy Fresh. Occasional snippets of genius, such as You're Not Wrong, are a grand collection of very British chat set to a beat - this is an album you should definitely listen to at least once. It's cheeky and brash and so you'll either love it or you'll wish it had never been made. It's also one of those albums that bodes well for the next one. Acne has done well, but he might be able to do better. [James Blake]