A/T/O/S stands for ‘A Taste Of Struggle’, and is represented by the duo of vocalist Amos and producer Truenoys. They make music that crackles with atmosphere and feeling, difficult to categorise but very easy to relate to emotionally. It helps that Amos has a terrific voice, very sultry but also with a vulnerability that recalls Martina Topley Bird at her finest. Truenoys’ production makes very interesting use of the beats, especially in a track like the edgy ‘Room’, topped off by the sultry tones of his vocalist. In keeping with much of the album’s lyrical content, ‘Cosmos’ addresses discrimination and race softly but firmly, leaving the time it’s done. Amos frequently lights the touch paper that Truenoys has created, to such a compelling effect that the album goes by in the blink of an eye. Soul, dub, a bit of funk, a bit of dubstep – they’re all here, but A/T/O/S is very much bigger than the sum of its parts, with something important to say at every turn.
