Kidda aka Ste McGregor first hooked up with Skint Records almost 10 years ago, when he moved down from the north to make videos for their acts. Little did they know they had another very talented recording artist right under their noses who was about to join their much respected roster. ‘Going Up’ opens with the shuffle & glide northern soul vibe of ‘Strong Together’, closely followed by the 70’s funky cartoon influenced ‘Under The Sun’, which has already been picked up by Bacardi for their forthcoming TV campaign. ‘VIP’ packs an old skool New York hip hop punch and ‘Feel Too Good’ rocks the party on Brighton Beach. ‘Hey Y’all’ is an uplifting string sweeping number that samples an old Al Wilson vocal, meanwhile ‘Good For You’ is Jackson 5 for the 21st century and Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody makes a surprising appearance on ‘Shining 1’. ‘Doo Whot’ features MC’s Blak Twang and Lomax and sees Kidda back on the hip hop trail. ‘Waiting For The Light’ is a tub thumping hoe down, and the closing ‘Smile’ is the perfect ending to a great weekend. Kidda is bound to get a lot of comparisons to Norman Cook and The Avalanches, but ‘Going Up’ is still a refreshingly accomplished debut, and most importantly it’s out there.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Dean Thatcher
