From The Word Go

“Attention… ahem… Give me your attention,” appeals Messiah J on ‘Megaphone Man’ and with he and the Expert’s third album From The Word Go, it’s impossible not to sit up and take note. Bigger and bolder than before with knowing, swaggering self-confidence, the Dublin duo have taken the ever-dangerous genre juggling gamble and can duly cash in handsomely. Combining big hip hop beats, funky bass, warping electronics, guitar riffs and the most soulful grooves since Back To Black, this should be a sensory overload. To the pair’s enormous credit, it’s anything but.

They begin (‘Year Of The Genie’) with the single most crashing opening to a hip hop record since Handsome Boy Modelling School’s ‘Rock n’ Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This) and conclude with poignant piano and strings (‘The Predicament’). In between they swoon (‘Turn The Magic On’/ ‘Amnesia Comes Easily’), spine-tinglingly ponder (‘Tomorrow Is Too Late’), have something of an aural freak out (‘Looking For a Long Term Thing’) and a whole lot of fun besides (‘Geography’/ ‘Guess You Had To Be There’). The reason it works is simple, it’s ermm, simplicity.

In resisting the urge to overindulge, The Expert is on supreme form throughout. He’s got tricks a plenty – the above-mentioned opening will have you reaching for the volume button to the detriment of your ears seconds later – but keeps them in check. For one, the hook lavished on the should-be-massive soulful pop of ‘Turn The Magic On’ is sensational with the Winehouse allusion more than warranted on the equally should-be-massive vocal talents of Leda Egri. Not to be ignored, Messiah J similarly responds, returning a more thoughtful lyricist. Bent on touching subjects as relatable as possible - politics, responsibility, connections – even Joe The Plumber couldn’t feel left out.

Together MJEX have continued the handy knack of outdoing themselves. Where the debuting What’s Confusing You seemed to be found out somewhat once Now This I Have to Hear arrived three years on, From The Word Go makes it’s predecessor almost feel like a relic. It’s not, it’s just the initial price of progression and Messiah J & The Expert show no signs of slowing down.