Little Simz – GREY area
Released: 1 March 2019
Tracklist
Offence: 4/5
Boss: 4/5
Selfish ft Cleo Soul: 4.75/5
Wounds ft Chronixx: 4/5
Venom: 4/5
101 FM: 5/5
Pressure ft Little Dragon: 4/5
Therapy: 4.25/5 (for some reason, the cadence of these drums reminds me of Bill Withers “Lovely Day)
Sherbert Sunset: 5/5
Flowers ft Michael Kiwanuka: 4.5/5
TOTAL: 4.35/5
★★★★1/2: Stellar example of genre; peak potential.
On my initial review of GREY area by Little Simz, I thought the album was excellent, but I had a sequencing issue with “Offence” being at the top of the album. I felt that “Offence“, with it’s break-beat core and non-sequitur rhyming structure, was thematically an outlier in GREY area – an album full of relationship woes and storytelling. I found it to be the weakest song on the album and preferred the album to begin with “Boss”
However, months later, I’ve taken more of a liking to the intro “Offence“. Additionally, songs like “Sherbert Sunset” and “101 FM” have solidified themselves as some of the best songs of the year. GREY area is a character and career defining album for Little Simz.
Click the video above for my 2nd opinion review of Little Simz GREY area!
Rating Categories:
★★★★★: Best in show; pinnacle release from an all-time great artist.
★★★★1/2: Stellar example of genre; peak potential.
★★★★: Excellent; recommended to all fans of artist or genre.
★★★1/2: Very good; a few bland songs or minor flaws throughout.
★★★: Good; fans of the artist will find value here.
★★1/2: Average; does little to establish the artist or maintain quality.
★★: Unexceptional; a few highlights but otherwise bland.
★1/2: Weak; unrecommended for anyone but major fans of the style and/or artist.
★: Seriously flawed; very poor work but relatively listenable.
1/2: Terrible; a true embarrassment and akin to audio masochism.