A softly spoken Londoner, born in Cardiff and raised in Brooklyn, Me One is like some relic from the jazz age coming to terms with life in the hip-hop generation. His voice is rich, deep and luscious, his beats are strictly old-school and his style is pure laid-back barber shop. Me's is an eclectic mix; his New York upbringing is apparent on the De La Soul-styled "Chapters", folk-funk with a touch of reggae spills across his inspired take of Beach Boy Brian Wilson's "In My Room" (featuring, of all people, ex-Eastender Michelle Gayle), and Gang Starr frontman Guru brings a touch of Y2K reality to One's daisy-age rap tactics on "Do U Know". But it's the jazz homage of "Old Fashioned" and the slave song blues-come-barber shop quartet roots of "Twist Of Fate", "La La Hey" and "Game Plan" that put Me One in a musical, inspirational and downright intellectual league of his own. Unique is a word not often used within hip-hop--but when it comes to Me One, it's the only one that comes close to describing this soulful work of genius.
--Dan Gennoe