Dizzee Rascal – Tongue N Cheek

Opening with one of the most annoying/brilliant/biggest tracks of the summer, ‘Bonkers’, Tongue N Cheek signals another shift for Dizzee Rascal away from the sublime and towards the ridiculous. Or to put it in more realistic terms, a shift away from the Mercury Prize List and towards the Radio1 Playlist. (Although after this years farce perhaps that should be the other way around.)They say ‘write what you know’, which is undoubtedly what Dizzee Rascal has been doing for his entire career. From his debut Boy In Da Corner ”“ tales of stabbings, bust-ups, and a general call to arms, which was followed by the rather lacklustre Showtime .Third album Maths + English was Dizzee back with a bang and a return to the raw aggression of his debut, but with guest appearances ”“ Lilly Allen and Alex Turner that asserted his now prominent and mainstream status in the music industry.And Tongue N Cheek seems to seek to cement that status further, not least because gormless pop muppet Calvin Harris has got his greasy mitts all over it. Gone are the gritty, rough around the edges lyrics, and they’re replaced with musings such as “And I couldn’t give a shit about a junction/ Couldn’t care less about a red light’s function” In a tone he once used to talk about mugging people and gang wars, he’s now moaning about slow-moving traffic.'Freaky Freaky' is one of Dizzee’s (luckily) rare attempts at writing about sex, and unfortunately comes off sounding just a wee bit sexist and rather uncomfortable. Not least for the girls involved. The best thing to get through it is concentrate on the beat and not the lyrics. Which is highly appropriate considering the subject matter, really.'Dirtee Cash' is no doubt already pencilled in as a future single, with the infamous background ‘woo! Yeah!’ reminiscent of those on 'Fix Up, Look Sharp', and a 90s boyband synth bassline.Tongue N Cheek has still got the beats, but lyrically, it’s severely lacking ”“ there are some genuinely cringe-worthy moments.' Bad Behaviour'and 'Dirtee Cash' are definite highlights, but two tracks does not a good album make.You could call it a change in direction, a reinvention, or you could call it selling out. Once one of the leading artists in the grime scene, Dizzee Rascal is now a fully-fledged ‘pop star’. He’s even designed his own pair of Nike’s to promote the album. Granted, you can’t blame the guy for being successful, but you can blame him for pandering to it. This is certainly not the sound he started out with. Here’s hoping that perhaps Dizzee’s tongue is firmly in cheek on this album, but as Jeremy Paxman said ”“ it’s ‘Mr Rascal’ now.Dizzee Rascal on MySpace