What if house and hip-hop got married and had a child? You would have the new age soul known as two-step, most commonly known in the UK as UK garage. The couple that gave birth to two-step are proud parents Mark Hill and Peter Devereux. Mark’s influences indulged mainly in R&B and jazz, while Peter’s preference has been predominantly hip-hop and house. Combining similar interests, they are hoping to put a charge back into soulful dance music that only existed during the disco days and Motown funk era. Hence, the newborn two-step genre. It’s All About The Stragglers might not be for the dance music purists but may find a home with the pop and R&B lover looking for something fresh.
All fifteen tracks feature guest artists and vocalists used in specialty roles to accommodate the vibe for each song. “Re-Rewind” and “What Ya Gonna Do?” feature England’s teen heartthrob and newest sensation David Craig. “Re-Rewind” has already been recognized as a two-step party classic, showcasing Craig stealing the thunder from the Rasta bass and house tempo by belting out his infectious R&B style. The opening track, “Think About Me”, shockingly captures the unknown talent of Michelle Escoffery singing along fluidly to the two-step love ballad at a ¾ beat. Other artists worth an honorable mention are MC Alistair for his reggae tongue on “R U Ready” and “It Ain’t Enough” and Lifford Davis’ vocal uplift for the Steve Wonder-like “Please Don’t Turn Me On”.
The production in making It’s All About The Stragglers is damn impressive. What makes their music so fresh is their ability to splice house, drum and bass, and R&B beats all into one sound and not make it sound too choppy. The biggest downside is that many of the tracks done in two-step style sound as if they could be any Destiny’s Child song or silly Sisqo track. That’s a big turnoff considering those artists already established that type of sound here in America. With two-step raising out of the UK underground and becoming more mainstream overseas, critics are forecasting that it will invade the US some time soon and be the next dance craze of the club circuit. I do not think that will happen in America, but I do see two-step as a good replacement for boring uptempo R&B.
+larry sarzyniak
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