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Roni Size
Return to V
Release Date 2005 01 25
Label V
Rating:

Not only a seminal producer in drum'n'bass, Roni Size also led the mainstream assault with excellent vocal crossovers like Reprazent's New Forms and Breakbeat Era's Ultra-Obscene. The first earned him the Mercury prize and the second stands as the best blending of aggro drum'n'bass with dedicated vocals ever heard (apologies to Lamb). Two years after a tracks-only record (Touching Down) that easily satisfied his fan base, Size returned as a commercial force with the "100 Vocal" Return to V. V Recordings, the hardcore label run by Jumpin' Jack Frost and Bryan Gee, was the home of Size's early classics &"Timestretch" and &"It's a Jazz Thing," so jungle fans could be easily forgiven for salivating at the prospect of another jungle landmark. Unfortunately though, Return to V isn't a back-to-basics record, and there isn't a single landmark to pick out from its 18 tracks. Size invited at least one different guest for each track, and the roster provides a look at the many styles influencing British club culture at the dawn of the millennium: hip-hop, R&B, ragga, jungle, 2-step, and house. The rub is that Size forces each of his guests into his technoid drum'n'bass format, fails to provide most of them with a hook, and relies on his production smarts -- as well as a heavy coating of fuzz -- to carry these tracks. The distance between ragga chatter Sweetie Irie and Marvin Gaye disciple Joe Roberts is neatly erased, which certainly allows for a unified album, but also one in which zero tracks stand out. Size dips out of jungle only once, for a solid hip-hop production with rapper Darrison as the feature, and rolls right over two world-class British MCs, Rodney P and Fallacy. (Fallacy is cut to exactly six words: "break it down" and "take it down"; fortunately, both of them have solo records of their own.) House vocalist Jocelyn Brown, who's been a musician for as long as Roni Size has been alive, is the only feature who escapes from this record with personality intact. John Bush, All Music Guide

Tracks:

	Title	Composer	Time
1	Bump'n'Grind	Ward, Williams	5:31
2	Shoulder to Shoulder	Williams, Kausman, Grant	2:28
3	Fassyhole	Wilks, Williams	2:34
4	Pull Up	Williams, Duplaix	2:55
5	Groove On/Come and Play	Jones, Williams	3:17
6	Cheeky Monkey	Williams, Smith, Scott	4:04
7	Time	Williams, Harrison	3:03
8	Problems	Blaze, Williams	3:15
9	Rise Up	Bent, Williams	3:19
10	Want Your Body	Williams, Roberts	4:33
11	No Trouble	Marley, Williams	4:17
12	No More	Knight, Williams, Smith	4:28
13	On and On	Williams, Reeves	6:07
14	Sing	Brown, Williams	5:34
15	Thirsty	Wilks, Williams	3:23
16	Streets	Fahey, Williams	3:49
17	Out of Breath	Williams, Rahzel	5:35
18	Give Me a Reason	Crawford, Williams	4:10

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