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Lady Sovereign, "Vertically Challenged"
NormallyI'd be suspicious of something like the Lady Sovereign phenomenon—thehype machine, the registered trademark, the inevitable references tothe name that's on everyone's lips (M.I.A.)—it all feels like a setup, and it probably is. But something about "the white midget" justmakes me want to get stupid and bounce, and I think that's clearly thepoint.Chocolate Industries
Lady Sovereign (or "The S-O-V" as she likes to proclaim) is ridinga wave of interest in capable and possibly eccentric female MCs thataren't following in the Mary J. Blige mold but are playing squarely inthe sausagefest of alternative hip hop. In other parts of the world,they'd probably call this "grime," but the one nice thing about theAmerican tendancy to ignore or pretend to ignore culture from aroundthe world is that the notion of grime just doesn't mean much ofanything to anyone here. Without falling into a trap of second guessingwho Lady Sov's audience is supposed to be, it's a lot more fun to justput on her record and get drunk on her quirky, silly vibe.
Vertically Challengedisn't posturing as intelligent or conscious in any way, but that's notto say that Lady Sovereign's lyrics aren't exceptionally clever attimes. She's almost always self-effacing or playing up her ownperceived shortcomings (pun only partially intended,) and so it's hardto hate on lyrics like "J-Lo's got a batty/ Well you can't see mine cusI wear my trousers baggy" for being the good-spirited, self-directedjabs that they are. Even after hearing these songs a dozen or so times,there are still plenty of lines that get a smirk or a laugh becauseSov's bratty false bravado when talking about her height or the failingof UK MCs is just infectiously funny.
The beats arealmost inconsequential here, although an Ad Rock remix of "Little Bitof Shhh" demonstrates that her flow sounds more natural over theminimalist, bass buzzing UK rhythms than anything else. That the songsrarely include more sounds than could be cooked up on a single drummachine and synth isn't important; that they get out of the way so thatLady Sovereign can work her charm is what makes this EP magicallydelicious.
Quite against expectations, and perhapsbetter judgement, I've fallen for the impish MC and it has less to dowith her resemblance to a young Melanie C and more to do with the crazygood hooks of songs like "Ch' Ching" that are simply and smartlyarranged in a way that often only music that refuses to take itselfseriously can be. It looks like Lady Sovereign's already been picked upby Island, and hopefully the major label forces that be won't dull herwit and undermine her charm as they tend to do with so many others.Even if they do, I'll always have Vertically Challenged and a record with this much fun and spark is worth holding on to.
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