Music Review: Devlin – Bud Sweat and Beers Album

Ryan Glynn/ December 2, 2010/ Personal/ 0 comments

Well, I haven’t had much to write about, and since Devlin asked his fans to review his debut album… I figured I might as well! So here it goes:

Devlin is what they call a grime artist in the UK. Being an American citizen, with no knowledge of what exactly grime is, I like to call it intelligent rap. Anyways, here is an American review of an amazing UK artist:

So how about we start off with the track by track review.

1989 – 10/10* I absolutely love this track, if there is anything that could vividly explain a full life story of highs and lows, this is it.

Brainwashed -9/10* Originally I thought this was the greatest track I have heard in years, but then after the release of the album it got knocked down a few pegs by the other songs that are here. This is still an amazing song with a great female vocalist for the chorus.

Days & Nights – 10/10* Another astounding song, another song about all the hard work Devlin has had to do to get where he has gotten today. “Sleep when I’m dead” is a great phrase to pick out from this song.

London City – 8/10* This is probably my least favorite song on the album, lyrically. Musically, it’s great. However, being from the US, the lyrics are not very relate-able. I have heard from UK people that this song is very relate-able to them and that they absolutely love this song, so maybe it’s just a regional opinion.

Marching Through The Fog – 10/10* A great amp up song, although I feel the chorus slows down the pace a little bit, it is still a great piece. The music video is also very artistic and goes along great with the song.

Let It Go – 10/10* If there is one song on this album you want to buy, let it be this one. This song is my most favorite song of the entire album. I have heard some people compare it to Eminem’s Love the Way You Lie. I disagree, I like this song more, the theme is somewhat similar, but the actions and reactions described are just much more relate-able from my perspective.

Yesterday’s News – 10/10* Another amazing song, another one about his rise to recognition. Good chorus, solid lyrics. Very good.

Community Outcast – 9/10* Lyrically, best song on the album. Musically, it’s a tad off for my taste, but still a great bit! I love just reading the lyrics to this song though, feels like such strong poetry.

Runaway – 10/10* Second favorite on the album. Great lyrics, great beat and great emotion all put into this song. Another amazing female vocalist as well.

Our Father – 9/10* Great song, very intellectual and very interesting selection of instruments used to create the beat.

Finally – 8/10* The only song on this album that features other MC’s (Ghetts and Dogzilla). Pretty good song, would have been a 9 if it wasn’t for Dogzilla’s use of autotune, which is just a pet peeve of mine. Otherwise, it’s a great song about finding things to really love in life.

Dreamer – 10/10* I feel this song is highly underrated. It’s probably the hardest song to find on YouTube, yet this is probably my third favorite song on the album. The lyrics are just very easy to relate to from my perspective and they are very thoughtful as well. They’re deep and optimistic. Another great female vocalist too.

World Still Turns -10/10* Another excellent song about his rise, each one of these songs has a different perspective and a different aspect of what it is like to rise from an unknown artist to someone big. Great song, great guest vocalist, although they seem to be unnamed in the credits.

End of Days – 8/10* It’s an interesting song, it’s very aggressive which is a great fit for him, however the lyrics are a bit confusing and seem to lack depth. Otherwise it’s a great song.

To sum it up, I paid $35 to have this album bought and shipped over to the US. Was it worth the money? Every cent! The album as a whole is a 10/10. These songs are worlds ahead of any American rapper/grime artist whatever you want to call them. I call him a poet in a beat. His lyrics are deep with amazing beats and great guest vocalists. They are songs you want to listen to over and over again, not just because of how good they sound, but because it leaves your brain grasping for more insight into the thoughts of Devlin and the world that he has seen. It’s truly an experience and it makes you wish more artists would follow suit. I am waiting in anticipation for anything more that he puts out.

Please comment to tell me what you think/agree/disagree!

You can find more of devlin on iTunes (if you live in the UK), and at www.officialdevlin.com!

I bought the album from Amazon.com so if you are American, I would recommend trying to get it there.

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