Tell me. What do you want from your music?
You don't want reverence for the past: that's someone else's generation and memories. You want someone fresh, who's cheeky enough to mess around with what went before and smart enough to know when to stop.
Ragga superstar Glamma Kid scores on both fronts. He may only be in his early 20s, but he's savvy enough to borrow samples from any number of (radio) DJ-friendly songs -David Bowie ('Fashion'), Blondie's 'Rapture' and Visage's 'Fade To Grey' (the irresistibly corrupt 'Bills 2 Pay'), Carly Simon ('Why').
Glamma Kid knows that radio producers and play-list compilers are always going to favour the music of their youth, cos that's what makes them feel young. He's also modern enough to throw in year 2000's obligatory vocoder sound on the opening statement-of-intent 'Playa Haterz'. Music is all about money, you dig?
And he's also famous enough that he can call on any number of high-powered collaborators (Jamelia, Shola Ama, Maxi Priest and Busta Rhymes' Flipmode Squad). Indeed, Ms Ama contributes to one of the album's slinkiest, most sensuous moments, verbally licking her lips on Top 10 single 'Taboo' like it's six in the morning. Maxi Priest, meanwhile, brings a certain amount of, er, class to the heavy metal boasting 'Ladies Knight'.
So is this a good album? Indubitably. There's nothing wrong with a healthy dose of nostalgia, especially when disguised so heavily among the contemporary beats and Glamma Kid's considerable vocal dexterity.
It gives us a common base for touch down, reassurance among all the confusion. Also, the samples may stand out but they aren't the only star turns here. The Salaam Remi-produced 'Foogazy' boasts enough breakbeat madness to last a thousand dance-floor plays; 'Pedal Pushers' is effortless schoolyard fun sung in a deep bass style that recalls the mighty Shabba.
Other heavyweight producers include D-Influence ('Bills 2 Pay'), Damien Mendis ('Why') and K Gee ('Taboo').
You could call Glamma Kid the British ragga take on Puff Daddy, smoothly finding ways to bring the past bang up to date. And why not? There are far worse names to be compared with?
