Search - Ms. Dynamite :: A Little Deeper

Nothing Explosive, But The Potential Is There...

Andrew Jacob | Brooklyn, New York | 03/12/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"How do you make it as a Emcee when you rap with a limey-accent? ...you can't, and Niomi McLean-Daley a.k.a. 'Ms. Dynamite' knows this; A failed rapping career has caused her resort to vocal singing. But even as a vocalist, Ms. Dynamite still falls into the rookie category because her debut, "A Littler Deeper" is in a few cases, a dissapointment.After hearing her first single, "Dy-Na-Mi-Tee", i was simply impressed. "Dy-Na-Mi-Tee" is sorta her anthem where she proclaims who she is. It had a very catchy, soulful, & addictive chorus. I was impressed on the spot and bought the album. I then listened with an open mind. Unfortunantly, there wasn't anything else that really grabbed me in as the lead single did. I mean, there are the very good songs, but they aren't presented with that soulful vibe "Dy-Na-Mi-Tee" has. One of the problem lies in accent. I had to admit, her accent killed even the most sentimental songs. "Put Him Out" has a catchy chorus & beat, but the way Ms. Dynamite presents & sings it almost immediately makes you press the next track button. "Danger" invokes her past...as a rapper. BIG mistake. There's a reason Ms. Dynamite's career as a rapper failed, and this song only adds to the problem. Plus is sounds like a low-quality reggae song. "Ramp" is the last track, but the "save the best for last" phrase doesn't apply here. The song is almost 10 minutes long. The song is overun by a retro-sounding beat in the first 4 minutes, and only becomes exceptional afterwards. Another problem is her lyrics. In exception to a few songs, the lyrics were poorly written. They either fell into the category of simplistic, predictable, or just stupid. In "sick 'n' tired", she has the line "you can kiss the kitty kitty bum bye bye". It sounds like a reject children nursery rhyme.The whole album isn't bad though. "Dy-Na-Mi-Tee", like i said before, is very catchy. "Anyway U Want It", a deut with Keon Bryce, is a very romantic song, talking about love (obviously). "Brother", a ballad in tribute of her brother (duh), has a very relaxing, depressing, but mellow flow. It also has very sentimental & emotional lyrics talking about growing up. "It Takes More" is yet another anthem where Ms. Dynamite proclaims ignorance won't affect or phase her. "Now U Want My Love" is a very angry song, where she talks about a past lover treating her like a reject. The line "You must be out of your (bleep)ing mind" literally tells you whats going on. "Seed Will Grow" is featured with Kymani of the legendary Marley family. Obviously, theres that reggae vibe you immediately get.I may sound a little bit negative, but i really did like this album. Overall i was satisfied with the debut, but i still think she isn't using her full potential. Another minor problem is production. While the production on this album is good, most of the time, it felt as if the songs were rushed. There were a lot of medium quality songs. A real big problem lies in the path she is trying to get through. She needs to focus on her vocal & singing, rather than singing/rapping. Sometimes, it's hard to know if she's singing or rapping, and this confusion leads to the disliking of the track. She has the potential to live up to her name, but as of right now; this dynamite will not be igniting anytime soon... but it's never to late to explode."

Response to andrew jacob, from radkin from london

05/31/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Andrew jacob wrote the first review. Ms dynamite never tried to make a career as a rapper. Your getting the underground garage scene in london mixed up with rap. These are just bashment partys where djs mix fast hip hop like beats and mcs get up on the mic and rip the place up. So the tracks danger and ramp are uk garage and have never been claimed to be hip hop and even in the u.k these tracks were never nationaly released and aint even on the u.k version of the album. If you want an example of this check out so solid crews first album They dont know (this is uk garage but u would probably get it twisted and think its meant to be hip hop).Also I get real fed up with yanks claiming that rapping with a british accent is wack. What about slick rick (one of the best ever). How can u claim that the british accent is wack when u got southern us rappers flooding ur charts. Hip hop is about being different and coming with something fresh which definatly aint happening in the us scence right now(everyone wants to be 2pac). So if u want something diferent try this and anyone else who wants to talk on the uk scene come over here first and you'll see a thriving underground scene that u dont get to see in the us because record companys dont give urban acts a chance over here, it's all about pop idol (american idol) and making a quick buck!"

A Little Deeper

Nasser Alqatami | 01/22/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When you think of Great Britain's contribution to popular music many names pop up. Where would rock music be without the Beatles? And who would master the art of balladry if it wasn't for Elton John? George Michael and The Spice Girls might be fads of the past for many, but the impact they have had is undeniable. Britpop has always filtered in stateside and reshaped music. But one field British music has yet to fully invade is R&B and Soul.Ever since Craig David surfaced and proved that English-accented rhymes make for good records, not much British soul was being supported. Remember the instant fading of Des'ree or Soul II Soul? What about Lisa Stansfield or All Saints? Artists have to come to this side of the Atlantic, like Floetry did, to even have a chance. Britsoul hasn't made it big, considering Britain's manufactured-band-heavy charts and fetish with dance music. However, many recent artists such as Mis-Teeq and Beverly Knight seem to have some staying power.One damsel who has shaken things up is Ms. Dynamite. With her direct lyrics and smooth grooves, her debut "A Little Deeper" seemed to offer an daring look into a youngster's life and a set-list of songs that are street-smart, yet delightfully preachy.Her sudden appearance out of nowhere made her a buzzworthy artist on MTV, with her latest single "It Takes Time" having more meaning in its lyrics then the entirety of the top 20 songs combined."A Little Deeper" is an honest journey into a driven girl's life. That is the reason why debut albums, in most cases, turn out to be the best albums. It seems like Ms. Dynamite had so much energy whilst making the album that everything is crammed into one CD with 16 tracks. However, the songs are not a let-down. "Brother" is a heart-wrenching ditty with a realistic twist and "Put Him Out" starts out with the one chord Santana knows how to play but then bursts into a very exciting and robust song. The second U.K. single "Dy-ma-mi-tee" is a sing-a-long number that comes after the interlude "Natural High" exclaiming Ms. Dynamite's pride in being drug-free."Sick 'n' Tired" continues the album's politically conscious mode, tackling issues of racism, sexism and gun-control -- that might seem like a hard task, but not for an adamant lyricist like this one.Kymani Marley makes an appearance on a standout track "Seed Will Grow" and Barrington Levy guests on "Too Experienced." But the real gift on the album is "Now U Want My Love," a song that is supported by its vulnerable lyrics and Ms. Dynamite's deep vocals.A star is born. If radio is wise enough -- since its current taste is highly
disappointing -- then they would give this smart-ass a chance to flourish. Maybe this time we can have a new artist worthy of acknowledgement -- not the likes of Kelly Clarkson.Her next album is rumored to be called "A Little Darker" -- and there is a baby on the way ,too."