Lady Sovereign

After a blink-and-you'll-miss it stint on IDJ, where she enjoyed the esteemed title of being the first non-American female artist signed to the storied hip-hop label, sassy Brit Lady Sovereign is now nesting comfortably in Indieville, putting her second album Jigsaw out via her own small label. The platter is an inescapable mix of synth pop and British grime, which for the uninformed and uninitiated, is an amalgamation of dancehall, house , hip-hop and electronic music. With her cockney’ish accent and decidedly British brogue, this nails-tough, bold and ballsy rapper is at once masculine and curiously charming; she’s no delicate English rose. However, we’re pretty certain that’s just the way she likes it! Jigsaw is the collection of songs where the Lady tosses off clever rhymes, twists genres and formulates her own unique style of rapping while at once mingling several different, disparate styles.

Lady Sovereign also sings for the first time on Jigsaw. Rapping has always been her forte, but Lady Sovereign attempts to actually sing a few bars. The results are fairly good on “So Human,” the album’s second song, which contains plenty of precious beats. It’s refreshing to hear the an artist who is already known for taking calculated risks take even more sonic leaps and chances, having the courage to go beyond her established comfort zone. Fans can rest assured, though, as Lady Sovereign spends much of her time on Jigsaw rapping her ass off. Album opener, the cheeky “Let’s Be Mates,” however, owes much more to the club scene, while the title track is the most “pop-friendly” piece of this Jigsaw puzzle. “Student Union” is all sorts of synthed out, as is “I Got You,” which spikes the punch with a bit of funk. Through it all, Lady Sovereign has buckets of confidence.

Lady Sovereign is the epitome of British bravado, so bow down!

— Amy Sciarretto
04.27.09

Lady Sovereign's debut album was the sound of young London coming right off the streets. The grime rapper's sophomore release, Jigsaw, has the same amount of saucy attitude as the first album, Public Warning, and there are almost as many laughable punch lines from the S-O-V. The thin electro-meets-grime-meets-indie productions from the returning Medasyn mix Panic at the Disco, La Roux, and Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me" in varying amounts, adding the occasional live drummer, chamber orchestra, or Cure sample in an effort to keep things interesting. The "top-notch bitch" is triggered when the percussive "I Got the Goods" gets simple, making a memorable chorus out of nothing but boasts. "On & On" features "I'm just trying to blow up like implants," "Food Play" is a fun mix of food and sex that could thrill the South Park character Chef, and the magic of "Guitar" lies in its wonderfully off-key "If I could play guitar then I'd play it/But I can't so I'll just siiiiiiiinnnnnnng." These small victories contrast with meaningless anthems ("Let's Be Mates") and trying soul-searchers (the title cut). ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide