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Track Listings
| 1. No Strings... |
| 2. Bashment Boogie |
| 3. Witness (1 Hope) |
| 4. Join The Dots |
| 5. Black Box Interlude |
| 6. Ital Visions |
| 7. Kicking The Cack |
| 8. Dub Styles |
| 9. Trim Body |
| 10. Artical |
| 11. Hol' It Up |
| 12. Stone The Crows |
| 13. Sinny Sin Sins |
| 14. Evil Rabbit |
| 15. Swords In The Dirt |
| 16. Highest Grade |
| 17. Dreamy Days |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Given Roots Manuva's higher profile this time around, it was always on the cards that a new album might be a more commercial affair. But while Run Come Save Me is more accessible, it manages to retain the rawness that made its predecessor so addictive. When his self-produced, leftfield hip-hop debut Brand New Second Hand appeared in 1998, it was a clarion call for UK MCs to give up emulating US styles and focus on home-grown vibes. Three years and several collaborations later the renegade rapper is back with another adventure into wayward lyricism and maverick beat-work. "Witness (One Hope)" is a perfect example: an undoubtedly energetic and catchy tune, it also features plenty of sci-fi bleeps and quirky Manuva-style subject matter. Likewise, tracks such as "Bashment Boogie", "Join the Dots" (featuring West Coast MC Charlie 2na), "Kicking the Cack" and "Swords in the Dirt" all combine plenty of Roots-Fireggae! boom-bap with idiosyncratic production. There's some grittier, darker, dubbed-out business here too, and some totally off-the-hook rhyming on tracks like "Ital", "Hol' It Up" and "Stone the Crows". For those who thought Roots would never top his debut, welcome to an album that's bigger, brasher and badder all round. --Paul Sullivan
Review
So far this year has seen solid releases from both Skitz and Mark B & Blade that have done nothing but big things for UK hip hop. But it is perhaps this stunning second album from Stockwell born and bred producer come mic destroyer Roots Manuva that has raised the bar for good. Now, with the release of Run Come Save Me everyone has to jump higher... a lot higher.
Primarily this album should be lauded for its degree of musical invention and individual approach to the genre. Rodney has produced three quarters of the album himself and there are elements here that have subsequently reappeared in the world of R&B. On hearing the stuttering, organic funk of that huge, electronic bass line and the relentless, loping rhymes on "Witness (One Hope)"we are reminded of the production on Brandy's "What About" masterminded by the genius of Rodney 'Darkchild' Jerkins. There is a playful, anarchic disregard for time signatures as things slip across the bars and are then suddenly pulled back again. Roots is not afraid to experiment and the results are refreshing and unpredictable.
Not only is he technically adept Roots is also a fearless writer. Gnashing over minimal keys he confesses on "Stone The Crows" "...as you can tell I'm from a basic stock, shouldn't take these drugs, shouldn't get so p*ssed".
The raw melancholy of "Sinny Sin Sins" finds Roots refuting the strict religious upbringing imposed by his deacon father. "I used to steal collection, I used catch a beating... As long as your living under my roof your gonna heed to my interpretation of the truth... to this day I fight down their spell". Yet, pathos aside, there is a ready wit that is never far from the surface. By way of example, his ode to the 'erb "Highest Grade" lifts the hook from Craig David's "Seven Days" to illustrate the sale and daily intake of Stockwell's jolly, green clients.
He is intelligent, humble but most of all conscious. On "Witness" he raps, "I sit here contented with this cheese on toast, I feel the pain of a third world famine". Somehow it's hard to imagine any MC from the West Side issuing forth a lactose truth like this but that's Rodney -strictly UK.
Although his debut Brand New Second Hand was an underground success it fell short of the landmark release that UK hip hop had been missing for the last ten years. With the completion of album number two, we have here a record that will be artistically and commercially recognised without pandering to the sounds and attitudes of Stateside hip hop.In making this truly individual record Roots Manuva has well and truly done the business. --Christian Hopwood
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Talking in my British accent,
By st_paul@bigfoot.com (London) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Run Come Save Me (Audio CD)
From 'No Strings...' to 'Dreamy Days', every style pushed forward. Anyone expecting the boom - bap, it's there but in a British way. To long has the British scene been rooted in the underground, people need to hear this. It's uniquely different to the US stuff. It incorporates so much more in its production, plus it comes with a British accent. References in the lyrics we can actually feel for, slang that you will actually know the meaning of. Not since The Brotherhood and Lewis Parker has underground that has gone main, actually been any good. Buy this, support the homegrown talent.
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
best album of 2001,
By andymurdo@aol.com (scotchland) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Run Come Save Me (Audio CD)
In a year when album after album instanly impressed with production sheen and wham bam hooks , only to pall rapidly , this is the one that actually got better and better with every listen . It's hip hop , but its so much more than that , seamlessly mixing in techno , dub and drum and bass influences as the lyrics conjure up a world of London street mystics. Operating from a tiny label , roots manuva gives the whole dance music world a lesson : "Refuse to get lost in the quest for wrong " . The superlatives come easily : best hip hop album since Wu Tang's debut . Best British hip hop album ever . Best album of any kind of 2001 .
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Six stars would be more appropriate.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Run Come Save Me (Audio CD)
This is with out a doubt the best album of last year. Any hip-hop fan without a copy of this in their collection should get one NOW. THIS INSTANT. Simply press the buy button and you're sorted. It's rare to find a hip hop album which doesn't get boring at any point on the album. Mr Manuva gives us not only great beats but also fantastic lyrics. We hear his views on drugs, religion, marriage etc.. the last 7 tracks are amazing. Less raw than Brand New Second Hand and more soulfull at times. There's plenty of Dub influences though and check 'Dub come save me' as well. I'm a big fan of UK hip hop and this is it at its best! Other artists to have a look at might be New Flesh. also on the Big Dada lable.
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