Album Review: Plan B - Ill Manors

Plan B's new record, Ill Manors, is comprised of sharp social commentary and paints a very bleak picture of the current state of affairs, with pessimistic lyrical content positioned alongside Plan B's well-known vocal tone and particularly interesting choice of instrumental content.

The record opens with title track, Ill Manors, which features a rough, heavy beat and fairly simplistic, accessible lyrical phrasing, and is certainly not as complex or impressive as many other tracks on the album. The tone of the record takes an interesting turn with Drug Dealer, performed over a much faster, shallower beat and featuring a reggae-esque vocal chorus. Playing With Fire is one of the album's standouts, opening with a catchy sample and featuring slower, more complex vocal content throughout. Deepest Shame also features an upbeat, infectious sample and a cheerful medlody that is contrasted against the artist's cynical social commentary. Pity The Plight follows suit in terms of lyrical content, but is conspicuously less intricate in terms of instrumental arrangement and as a result is far less engaging than other tracks. Lost My Way also features an interesting combination of instrumental lines and samples but does not quite fall together coherently and feels somewhat disorganised as a result.

Another of the album's highlights appears towards the end of the record with Great Day For A Murder, whose catchy chorus and short, punchy verses make it particularly accessible. The record closes with Falling Down, which is considerably slower than any of the foregoing tracks and feels even more poignant as a result. The album does frequently fall short in terms of instrumental and lyrical cohesion, and is at times slightly repetitive, but it's nonetheless courageous and, more often than not, incredibly catchy.