Album Review: REMI - Divas And Demons

Three years after scooping triple j Unearthed Artist Of The Year, Remi Kolawole has completed album number two, following on from the Australian Music Prize-winning Raw X Infinity, which garnered acres of critical acclaim without tallying similar sales figures.

REMI's continued association with producer Sensible J has borne exceptional results as their mutual understanding of each other's art has audibly deepened over time. The chemistry of Kolawole's easy, elastic flow is complemented by J's empathic beats, which — although mostly digital — have plenty of warmth and emotion. A fine example is For Good, where Kolawole trades lines with Sampa The Great over such an effortlessly slick groove that the boy-girl conflict it portrays could almost be missed. It's one of a number of well-fitting collaborations that bolster the album rather than overwhelm it. Elsewhere Kolawole recounts his experiences as a mixed race "beige" kid on the likes of Young And Free, Outsiders and Hate You whose reflective, measured lyrics are all the more convincing because of Kolawole's understated delivery. REMI doesn't need to bark, bite or do the done-to-death Aussie-bloke hollering thing, which was fresh when Hilltop Hoods pioneered it more than a decade ago but was maybe just a bit too easy to copy.

Divas And Demons is rock-solid proof that Kolawole has the individuality to be that rarest of rare things; an Australian hip hop act that actually gets noticed outside Australia. Let's do the man some justice and make this huge.