Melbourne MC Illy has diverted from a seemingly fail-safe path with his third album Bring It Back. Rather than the pop-infused, crowd-friendly record that would have seemed a likely follow-up to his successful 2010 release The Chase, Illy has instead given us Bring It Back, an homage to boom-bap sounds and straight-up lyricism. Indie singers on guest choruses have been replaced by MC collaborators, with some great results. The dream team of Mantra and Grey Ghost appear on standout track The Real, which features a killer beat courtesy of Funkoars' Trials, while veteran Reason and young gun Elemont join forces with Illy for The Bridge.

Illy's expanded his production roster for this album – as well as his frequent collaborator M-Phazes, there are also beats from the likes of Taku, Billy Hoyle, One Above and the aforementioned Trials. The album doesn't lack cohesion though, thanks largely to the team's commitment to the old-school sound that characterises the record.

There is a problem with Bring It Back, and that is that Illy's 'haters' appear to be taking up far too much space in his head, and consequently in his lyrics. It's no secret that the unconventional MC has attracted his share of detractors throughout his career, but too many of this record's tracks reference his determination not to pay any attention to negative opinions – hence paying them far too much attention. “Either fight everyone who targets me/or move forward”, he says on Say It To Me, but it still feels like he's doing more of the former than the latter. Illy is a talented MC, and Bring It Back proves that he doesn't need indie songstress choruses or pop-based beats to deliver great tracks. It's just a pity he didn't let his talent make the point for him and turn his lyrical attentions elsewhere.