Album Review

K-OS – Yes!

• 24th May 2010

Canadian rapper K-os has been releasing interesting, varied hip hop records for some time now but, despite going platinum a couple of times in his homeland, you wouldn’t know about it this side of the pond. So it was with an open mind that I span Yes! His fourth full-length instalment.

Opener ‘Zambony’ draws the blueprint for the tracks to follow – eclectic beats coupled with K-os’ distinctive laid-back flow and an addictive chorus hook. In fact, there’s much more singing here than might be expected from a hip-hop record: ‘Burning bridges’, for example, is more or less an up-tempo rock number – a highly infectious one too – with an arbitrary bit of rhyming tossed in at the bridge.

The nonsensically-titled ‘I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman’ does the improbable and reworks Phantom Planet’s dire ‘California’ into something much more enjoyable – aided by high profile collaborator Nelly Furtado.

‘Uptown Girl’ is the pick of the bunch, boasting K-os’ best verses and sampling a catchy guitar riff.

All in all, this is a cracking bunch of songs that are screaming out for a wider audience.