Verb T & The Last Skeptik - Broken Window

London's MC Verb T and The Last Skeptik have released their follow up to Bring it Back to Basics, entitled Broken Window. This album again sees the duo tackle the realities of street life, while their underground sound of garage and soulful rap has caused many in the underground community to take note of their lyrical ability and musical prowess. Yet in a bigger arena the duo's sound is nothing new and their subject matter has been explored by countless up-and-coming emcees: No More, Zoned Out and Evil Life Part 3 are particularly guilty of this. Sway and Kyza feature on March, a bleak account of inner city life with a warped eerie backing track; again, not particularly poor, just not particularly engaging. Round by Round is one of the album's strongest songs, with Verb T's thought-provoking vocal style being excellently demonstrated on top of a catchy bass loop, but too often the songs regress into forgettable, clichéd urban fodder. [Franck Martin]