Album Review: Joel Rafidi - Phases

We first met Joel Rafidi on the impossibly short-lived TV program, The Shire. Unsurprisingly, he’s emerged from that trainwreck with a new name and deafening silence on the experience. This reflects Rafidi’s general modus operandi. He lacks conviction. He’s bashful, almost apologetic, on the mic. Embarrassed by his Australian accent, he leans towards an American one. Perhaps fearful of a backlash, he leans only part way, his style drowning somewhere between Cronulla and Malibu. It’s not easy to believe in someone who seems not to believe in himself, making Phases a difficult release to get excited about.