Close your eyes and see the world with a new tongue and cheek as TY presents music to wiggle your finger and shake a leg to. Dropping his new album Special Kind of Fool, urban music has a saving grace – one that’s actually always been there.

Like his past on point releases, this offering houses his delightful ideology, his best attribute – a conscious being that doesn’t take life too seriously. And now having left Big Dadda he finds solace at BBE to illustrate what real commitment and time can do to the creative process.

Production wise its catchy and rhythmic, highlighting a progression in TY’s positive musical choices. From soulful hooks and live instrumentation taking a dive into Funk, Hip Hop and Boogie, to a canvas of infectious afro-cosmic beats – the right decisions create just enough degree of difference from past work without straying from his warming personality.
You only have to hear the accelerated and addictively looped ‘Heart Breaking’ with good friend Sway or the superb, sure summer hit ‘Emotions’ to find a cure for the current chart mundane.

But Ben the rapper has definitely grown up too. On Special Kind of Fool the verbalism is less abstract then previous work, direct and more hard-hitting than ever. He has an opinion and it’s about time we listened.

It’s no exaggeration to say TY deserves to be bigger than the average artist, showered with all the fitting awards. So you wouldn’t hold it against him by now to be disgruntled with UK Music – a dissatisfaction often similar artists of such longevity can’t wait to acclaim. But refreshingly the Vauxhall thoroughbred is far from a mourning old timer about his strange relationship with Hip Hop. He still loves his art and it’s clear, here more then ever, just how much.
Beauties like ‘Me’, ‘Get Up’ and the title track ‘Special Kind of Fool’ induce empathy for his cause, pulling at your heartstrings at the same time as tickling you to dance.
While ‘Something Big’ with it’s thumping Horns and glowing chorus tell a london story that should be heard by all.

In short the album signals how our favourite kind of fool is not for change and how we adore him for it.