LITTLE SIMZ Vinyl & CDs

Review: 29-year old Simbiatu Ajikawo aka Little Simz had a breakout year in 2022 that saw her complete a sold out tour and win some big awards (Mercury Music Prize, Mobo, Ivor Novello and Brit) as well as the public's affections. She takes a bold left turn here with 'No Thank Yowl, an album of defiant punk rock that is sleek and dynamic and serves as a "two-fingered salute to conformity and fame". It's a confident record from an artist at the top of her game, all recorded with her go to collaborator Inflo. She says, "emotion is energy in motion. Honour your truth and feelings. Eradicate fear. Boundaries are important."

Review: First released on streaming services back in December, Little Simz fifth album, No Thank You, finally makes it onto CD. Chances are you've already heard it, but if not, we can confirm that it's a genuinely brilliant set that more than lives up to the dizzy heights of its Mercury Prize-winning predecessor, 2021's Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. Constructed in great sonic detail by long-term production partner InFlo - all sultry strings, head-nodding R&BV beats, sampled horns, background and chorus vocals from Cleo Sol and warming bass - the ten-track set contains some of Little Simz's most potent lyrics - all of which are delivered with the kind of seamless, London-accented flow that we've come to expect from her. Another triumph from one of the UK's greatest MCs.

Review: Drop 6 is the latest in an ongoing mix series that finds British rapper Little Simz flexing her skills over an extended release. It's a fine work that puts her lucid vocal flow front and centre. She muses on meditation, self-reliance and occasionally stores a moment to big up herself. It has an alluring vibe, gloomy in places, empowering in others, and often feels as lonely as lockdown will have been for many. The artist has said before she pushed through something of a crisis to get the record finished and that always shines through, but only to the betterment of the results.