We're All Alone in This Together＜Colored Vinyl＞

PSYCHODRAMA, Daves visionary debut album, was empowered by its fiercely local perspective. The stains and triumphs of London living trickled through the records very fibers, manifesting in direct homage to Streatham, sly references to Brixton and Bow, and the localized minutiae of Lesley. Yet with his second album, Were All Alone in This Together, the scope has opened somewhat. The Dave of 2021 is rallying against Middle Eastern refugee crises and deepening his Nigerian ties -- a rapper with his feet planted in London, but with a gaze stretching worldwide. With his acute pen, Dave folds international concerns into the London diaspora: Three Rivers poignantly examines three eras of British immigration, Lazarus pings between London and Lagos, and Heart Attack contextualizes cyclical violence with its Somali dad ran away from a war, now his sons in a war. PSYCHODRAMAs localization is far from gone -- Verdansk kicks the album off with Brick Lane wisecracks and a three-car convoy in Sutton -- but the project, like its cover, feels refreshingly open, floating contemplatively amid global contexts and local tales. As with all of Daves works, WAAITT is defined by its statement pieces. The albums seven-plus-minute monoliths employ his talents to different ends: In the Fire is an awe-striking Avengers Assemble of U.K. rap, Both Sides of a Smile folds conflicted romances into James Blakes harmonies, and Heart Attack provides another meditative masterwork. They are brought to fulmination, like the Question Times before them, by the rappers ageless insight and evocative lyricism. In the Fire employs a reference to Jakub Błaszczykowski as not just a triple entendre but a brutal allegory for losing a parent to immigration services. Among the sets shorter cuts are a wealth of staples: the minimalist strut of Titanium and Funky Friday finds a solid counterpart in Verdansk and Clash, while PSYCHODRAMAs sublime opener/closer combo is matched by Were All Alone and Survivors Guilt. Dave even manages to succeed where Fredos Hickory Dickory Dock so publicly fell, nailing nursery-rhyme trappings on Twenty to One. The only dip in excellence is with the airier Law of Attraction and System, which feel out of sync with the albums core in a way that Purple Heart and Location didnt. Adrift on the open sea, Dave makes a potent second statement. His first steps outside of PSYCHODRAMAs concrete sphere of influence continue to cement his generational talent. ~ David Crone

デビュー・アルバムにして、UKラップ史に残るタイムレスな傑作『PSYCHODRAMA』で衝撃を与えたラッパーのセカンド・アルバム。端的に言えばとても素晴らしい作品だ。特に惹かれたのは幅広いテーマを取り上げた歌詞。貧困、移民、暴力、差別といった社会的問題を鋭い言葉で描写する表現力は神々しい。これらのテーマが個人的視点や難しくない言葉を通して描かれるため、歌詞が耳にすんなり入ってくるのもグッドだ。客演にウィズキッドやスノー・アレグラらが名を連ねるほか、ジェイムズ・ブレイクが参加した"Both Sides Of A Smile"を筆頭にサウンドも聴き応えがある。アレンジの多彩さには光るものがあり、様式にとらわれない曲展開もおもしろい。まぎれもなく本年度ベスト・アルバム最有力候補。
bounce (C)近藤真弥