People Under The Stairs Acid Raindrops 12" This crew made a lot of noise with their first ventures into hiphop - this track is the third single to be gleaned from their third lp 'O.S.T'. For a crew known for making heavy beats the a-side 'Acid Raindrops' is highly disappointing. The beat is sparse and whilst the individual elements are mixed crisply - theres not enough layering to keep it knocking into my dome. The snare dominates whilst bongo's patter about in the corner of the room - its ok but after seven minutes its ploughed a deep furrow n' played itself out. Lyrically its a simple ode to the good ol' green - the highlight of this particular track is how the emcee's flow smoothly and simply across the break. A relaxing track for kickback moments on the settee. The flip 'Hang Loose pt 2' s a reworking of PUTS first ever single. This track flips the script with Thes One and Double K dropping the mad heavy funk laced track - everyone rocks the slapbass break in the old goodtime mic style. This is a fun track which cant help but bring a broad grin to my cynical mug. Reminscent of Sugarhill Gang, J5, etc - you get an idea of the vibe - its very good and busts loose the party vibe after the restrained a-side. Last up is 'Montego Slay' is a relaxed affair - with a subtle bit of production gently pushing each emcee to drop easy verses about chilling out. This track blends out the speaker - nothing dramatic just an soothing vibe. Love it. Overall - a wicked three track plus instrumentals twelve which highlights the PUTS diversity as each track brings a different element into the mix - this isnt a record which can be overly pigeonholed. If you havent checked them before then this will give you a nice little introduction. If you have checked them then you know the score - so I'll shut it. - Smiffy © ukhh.com 1999 - 2002