Leaf Dog And Rag N Bone Man Dog N Bone EP Review
Dragged through the Leaf Dog lab of high quality and classically edged, punchy and crisp beats. This EP and the performance from Rag n Bone Man is nothing short of a early Sunday morning soulful wake up. Twisted and carefully spat out with wit, anguish and attitude. Leaf Dog's production ranges from boom bap to mellow types, fitting for Rag n Bone Man to effortlessly echo a harsh bluey vocal on the Mic. His tone is husky and he hits the notes with confidence. With the DNA of Gil Scott Heron infusing with the DNA of a young and raw talented hip hop craftsman, this EP is a current scrapbook snippet of UK Soul and UK Hip Hop combined. And probably one of those that you'll go back to for solidarity.
Although the walk and style can be reminiscent of older bluesy eras, they keep the hip hop underbelly hugely influential throughout. Demonstrated with powerful and demonenant appearances on the Mic by Leaf Dog. Expressing pains, memories and blunt takes on female company. Track Four - Diggin for Gold is a modern and frank tale of women fucking with your foundations. Getting involved in your drugs, space and time. The lyrics from both Leaf Dog and Sonny Jim are arrogant but honest. Rag n Bone Man puts in another soulful and gospel inspired performance, and although his content remains stubborn to contemporary connotations it wouldn't go a miss beside a BB King or Missippi Fred McDowel tape.
There are no bones about it, when it comes to a strictly hip hop performances then Leaf Dog takes all the plaudits in Track Five - Whatever. A vivid and pacy account of Leaf Dogs harsh realities. The loss of his father and other close members gives heavy subject matter but if first reluctant, what better way to express the core of realness on top of a passionate and heartfelt Rag N Bone Man vocal master-class.
Rag N Bone Man & Leaf Dog - Nobody
Track One - Nobody was earlier released as a single and is the stand out performance from Rag N Bone Man. A loose and relaxed drum beat plays the platform for depthy organs and rich vocals. The video of Nobody is also a great demonstration of how the gorgeous tones of reality, struggle and hope goes so well with a blues and soul sound. With Leaf Dog establishing himself as a keen favourite among many hip hop enthusiasts, Rag n Bone Man has the potential of breaking barriers set further away from the obvious categories.
All in all, this EP is sick music. Not just Hip Hop. Make sure to get a copy of this nang release from the official High Focus website and stay tuned for more releases from the crew.
