Album Review: Chance Waters - Infinity

Our host is a man apart. As a man apart, Chance has never been embraced to the bosom of mainstream rap music fans in this country. In the past this seemed to cause Phatchance, his previous moniker, some consternation. These days, Chance Waters revels in the unique position he occupies. On this album alone he's as much a roots musician as a rapper. That's an exaggeration, obviously, but it serves the point: Chance refuses to be pinned down or classified.

With that in mind let's start at the end. We Left is a neat album closer. It's also the high point of this album, leaving a pleasing final impression. The chipmunk chorus is pop music par excellence; instantly engaging, catchy and carrying the promise of depth. Our host is at his strongest on this track too. We Left is a neat metaphor, you see. As a society we have “left our hearts somewhere in the stars”. Where we once strived to explore the frontiers of space, we now revel in introspection. Our failure is a collective failure of the imagination. It's a neat way of thinking and, along with a crisp hook, acts as a crisp signing off. Conjure Up A Fire and Young And Dumb – with a cute back-and-forth between our host and Bertie Blackman – are similarly engaging.

Sadly, the rest of Infinity doesn't meet the same standard. Maybe Tomorrow, which has another chorus worth mentioning, is let down in part by our host's flow mirroring that of Spit Syndicate's in their 2010 single Starry Eyed. The resemblance is surely accidental, but nonetheless distracting. Feel Alright is pedestrian. Wedding Ring is a little clumsy. Taken as a whole, Infinity is a frustrated promise. To build on the metaphor our host floats on We Left: “Too rarely do we stare at the stars/Too often we stare at our sneakers.”