The dread, paranoia, hope and frenetic pace of modern urban life in the UK (and the western world in general) has imbued many “urban” albums with a certain headspace – introspection, confusion, redemption and conviction blended into a melange of scenes that leave a distinct sense of the overwhelming possibilities of modern life. Ghostpoet’s Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam, on Giles Peterson-s Brownswood label, is Obara Ejimiwe’s debut album. To these ears, this release could be nothing BUT a debut album, documenting the struggles, travails and inspiration of a bedroom auteur on his journey from Coventry to London and onwards into the big wide world. There are definite parallels to Roots Manuva’s debut album Brand New Second Hand, both in world-view and flow, as well as some aspects of the somnolent delivery of Tricky at his most blunted and Gil Scott Herron. Humour is an important facet of Ghostpoet’s work; it might not be of the Kid Acne knee-slapping variety, yet the self-deprecation is set on high, as it is in plenty of decent art.
Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam is a varied smorgasbord of production values and musical modes. There’s a live sounding echoic jazz-souk vibe on ‘Finished I Ain’tâ’Â, as Ghostpoet intones; “I got tonnes in my brain, I gotta get it out” thatâ’s readily apparent. ‘I Just Don’t Know’has a certain modern UK feel, kind of like The Streets, as a poppy-electro soundtrack treads the line between 80s pastiche, indie-dance and grime dynamics. Understanding the essential variations that go towards making an enjoyable album, the Ghostpoet understands that he “Can’t be a retrospective rapper all the time”Â. ‘Garden Path’ has hints of Obara’s grime-cru youtâ, with the blagger/wiseman dichotomy set to Geeneus-style tropical grime vibes and mutated birdsong. Rounding the album out with ‘Liiines’, the genre-blurring qualities of Ghostpoet allow this number to come across like Broken Social Scene with Big Dada’s Ty on vocal duties.
Ghostpoet’s lyrical concerns and indolent flow, plus the multifaceted productions contained on Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam herald the arrival of a unique voice on the urban landscape. In my opinion, anyone that can fit two pork pie references into one tune deserves to be heard.
Oliver Laing
