Album Review: The Tongue - Surrender To Victory

“This is the album to stop procrastinating and embrace The Tongue,” says the promo accompanying Surrender To Victory. That suggestion cuts to the quick: our hero's excellence is not as widely recognised as it ought to be. 2010's Alternative Energy, and particularly its lead single, The Show, was criminally under appreciated. So is this the album that elevates The Tongue?

It helps that Rhymin' is one of the best rap songs we've heard this year. Brutal, relentless; no hook, just pure raps. Rhymin' is a flawless combination of The Tongue's two sides: first, his unrivalled confidence on the mic; second, his prophet persona, a weary educator sharing truths with us. Perfection. Drums, the lead single, is immense, its glory in no small part due to Cam Bluff's jaw-clenching, head-shaking production. Just You Wait is the sentiment flagged in the album's promo: Tonguey and Thundamentals show us that achievement only comes when we get off the couch. Surrender To Victory is not without occasional missteps, though. On album opener, Bittersweet, our host celebrates Julian Assange, former Liberal PM Malcom Fraser and 16th-century theologian Martin Luther in the one breath. The link between the three men is left a little unclear.

The Tongue's defining feature is his courage. As a younger man he entered MC battles dressed as Osama Bin Laden. As a not-yet-established recording artist he brought the then two most prominent rap labels in the country to his doorstep. Surrender To Victory is a triumph of The Tongue's vision, and his decision to get Queensland up-and-comer Cam Bluff on the boards was brilliant. For us, it stands proudly beside Alternative Energy. But, will it put The Tongue where he should be?