Special Request
Chinese Man, 2020
8/10
Taiwan MC cut his teeth in the company of the Cool & Deadly collective, and these days he’s off to a flourishing career that includes worldwide appearances as he returns here with the sophomore album, Special Request.
“Mr. Babylon” starts the listen and finds an interesting, energetic place to reside where hip-hop and reggae meet, and “Hold It Down” follows with plenty of atmosphere as synth and beats interact playfully amid a dance-friendly delivery.
Elsewhere, “Fire” brings in Landa Freak on the spacey, busy and dynamic landscape of adventurous song craft, while “Life Ain’t Easy”, with Jamalski, recruits plenty of rhythm into its atypical reggae spirit. “Number One”, one of the album’s best, then pairs nearly operative singing with fluid rapping amid a sci-fi influenced climate.
As we near the end, “"Nah Leave Me Corner” embraces much breezy, island flavor in its vocally strong, laid back execution, and “One Last Dance” benefits greatly from Anouk Aiata’s soulful pipes in the indeed lively mood that will get your body moving.
A record that covers multiple genres, fans of reggae, hip-hop, rap, rock and even psychedelia will find much interest here, as Taiwan MC enlists plenty of heavy hitters on this vibrant 2nd album.
Travels well with: Baja Frequencia- Hot Kats; Chinese Man + Scratch Bandits Crew + Baja Frequencia- The Groove Sessions Vol. 5