Born in Da LBC –  Lee Perreira (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

That will teach me to jump to conclusions, to judge books by their covers…or at least songs by their titles. Anytime I see slang words such as “Da” in a title I immediately brace myself for impact by another modern rapper going through the testosterone fulled motions of self-aggrandisement and playing up to stereotypes. Boy was I wrong.

Born in Da LBC is actually a very slick, very original and very up to date blues number, one that takes in all the required elements to keep the purists happy but also has enough modernity and easy infectiousness that the means that the more mainstream markets are also a well within the songs sights. Perreira’s voice is also a big factor in the songs charm, not just the required honesty and directness of the blues singer but with the raw edge that is usually associated with rock. Add that to some intricate blends of picked and riffed guitars, subtle and spacious breaks, a stomping tribal beat and an easy swagger and you have the perfect blues/maintream cross-over.