When you think of soulful female singers/MC’s, probably one of the first acts that would come to mind is Floetry. Right? Well in Ladi6’s case that comparison wouldn’t be far off, but as you listen to her super sultry-sweet debut Time Is Not much, you’ll find that she’s so much more skewed towards soul than the transatlantic pair. With a mixture of jazzy, soulful and hip-hop production, the soulful tones of the New Zealand native offer the perfect remedy for stressful times. She’ll banish those worries in no time and nowhere is that more apparent than on the positive vibes laid down on the romantic, reggae-influenced track ‘Walk Right Up‘.

Beautifully built ‘Give Me The Light‘ has a double bass will repeat in your ears long after the track is finished while the production on ‘Call You Out‘ featuring sick spitter Scribe has elements akin to Amy Winehouse’s ‘You Know I’m No Good‘. This is all before the album is broken up by the sublime ‘Boogie’s Interlude‘ and  ’Question?‘, the later of which takes you back to when R&B used to be called Rhythm and Blues. Inspirational and positve ‘So Far‘, which shines light on the hard journey Ladi6 has had to face to get relative success thus far, is another highlight.

The beat-boxed loop on ‘Dark Brown‘ bridges the gap between her soul and hip-hop passions to set up the next phase of the album, where a more energetic Ladi6 showcases her MC’ing skills over grittier, funkier beats (take your pick between ‘Believe Me‘ or ‘Jacknife‘).

But then we have to remember this is the first lady of the NZ hip hop scene, able to call artists like Scribe (who also appears on ‘More Than Fake‘), P-money and 4Corners her homies.

So what specifically is it that gives this album its charm? Is it the texture of her voice? Is it the way she flows to the beat? Perhaps it’s both, with the glue that holds them together stemming from the innate coolness of her sound, meaning that she could sing over any backing track and the effect would hit the mark. Listen out for the hidden song; coming in at 7.49 minutes after the last track, it’s not to be missed either. Dope.

Words Chinwe Ojielo
Buy Time Is Not Much