Hip-Hop

The latest CD releases reviewed

ROB KELLY
Bragging Rights Acquisition ***

In Irish hip-hop's small but enthusiastic undergrowth, Rob Kelly stands tall for many reasons. Kelly's profile to date is attributable to non-stop hustling and making the most of every hook-up which comes along, but previous mix-tape The Kellection showed that the Wexfordman also had some acerbic verbal ammo to go with his PR prowess. This time around, Kelly's producers are very much on form and there are plenty of sweet ideas punctuating Mike Donnelly's handiwork on Take a Look and, especially, the swinging bravado on Bizerkk. It's also clear from Bragging Rights that Kelly has fine-tuned his gruff flow in a number of significant ways, although there are still times when his vocals need more emphasis and power to really pin the track down. That said, in terms of stinging one-liners and bigging himself up, Kelly has that side of the game well and truly locked down. www.myspace.com/robkelly  Jim Carroll

DE LA SOUL
Impossible: Mission Red Lion ***

A coherent mish-mash of unreleased material, live tracks and out-takes that never made the official cut, Impossible: Mission is where the Daisy Agers cut themselves a little slack. Having spent so much time putting as much distance as possible between themselves and their seminal Three Feet High and Rising debut (and often turning curmudgeonly when the subject was raised), here's evidence that the De La three have decided to stop beating themselves up and enjoy the view. Probably the freshest and most enjoyable joint to which they've attached their name in years, Impossible: Mission is dynamic and mostly effortless. Their suave cover of Common's The Corner is one high note, as is You Got It, which takes its energy and buzz from a very smart looping of Bobby Byrd's I Know You Got Soul. More of this kind of thing and we could soon be talking about a brand new Daisy Age on the rise. Jim Carroll