(Polydor)
Twenty-one years old and the eldest of 11 siblings, Ms. Dynamite was raised in north London by her mother, whose love for reggae, roots and soul has deeply influenced her musical style. Ms. Dynamite, a.k.a. Niomi McLean-Daley, takes her lifetime of influence and introduces herself to the world with her first album, A Little Deeper.
Having first shown up on the music industry's radar almost 12 months ago with the hit single entitled \Booo!"" Ms. Dynamite has spent much of the last year creating her album. She recruited producer Salaam Remi, who has previously worked with Nas and the Fugees, as well as Punch and other producers, to lay down the beats for the album while providing the lyrics herself.
Drawing comparisons to Lauryn Hill, Ms. Dynamite bears certain vocal similarities-a cocksure tone and a silky smooth voice. However, her style is very much her own. She equally balances the singing and rapping on her album with the very strong reggae influence that is evident everywhere on A Little Deeper.
Lyrically she doesn't compare with Hill or many other female rappers. The lyrics for A Little Deeper are thoughtful and empowering to women, but her word play, cleverness and delivery are not even close to on par with Hill's. Her lyrics are more simple and designed to flesh out the soulful grooves of her music.
Having a set of very accomplished producers bodes well for any artist's debut album. This is very much the case on A Little Deeper. Through and through, the production and the mixing of the album is tight. Despite the fact that the beats jump from reggae to hip hop to R&B, the sound and the continuity of the album is smooth and comes through seamlessly.
Her most notable success on the album is ""Dy-na-mi-tee,"" an up-tempo cut where she essentially announces herself to the world. ""Put Him Out"" is another standout track. Despite the fact that its liquid guitar is a Carlos Santana knockoff, the track delivers a strong message to women in relationships with emotionally abusive men.
Ms. Dynamite's comparisons to Lauryn Hill may be unwarranted, but she has still made a solid first impression. Her lyrics may be simple, but that's not the point. Ms. Dynamite lays a sultry voice over hot tracks and makes A Little Deeper a good listen.
