SOME ALBUM REVIEWS

Nine High have produced a remarkably polished debut, one that should separate them from the crowd.

Editorial Review
Release date: 6 June 2009 (TAOS)
Nine High are a three-man hip hop group from the UK. Well, they used to be from the UK. Two of the members have since settled in Melbourne and there has been much international travel in recent years. But that UK background means their take on hip hop is a little different to both the local stuff and the US. While the lyrics and flow are both top notch, what really sets this album apart is the old-school approach to production. In a nutshell, the LP has a soul you don't find in many hip hop releases these days - regardless of origin. It's infused with the spirit of early 1990's boom-bap and brings to mind classic releases from KRS-One and Lord Finesse. Okay, Nine High don't sound like either of those acts, but they have the same reference points and their music will have your head nodding.
Fugs Need Hugs is the first single, but you should probably ignore that. It's okay, but it tends to stray a little too close to the formula. You could say the same for the first few tracks. For some bizarre reason it's only in the second half of this album that the guys really come alive. Give it a chance and you won't be disappointed. This is a remarkably polished debut.
Mikolai, June 2009
http://melbourne.citysearch.com.au/music/1137668782933/Nine+High%3A+Self+Titled

I have to be honest here – I didn’t expect to like Nine High. When I put the CD into my stereo, I cringed as I pressed “play” and had already started planning clever ways of saying “cliché” and “piss poor”. I’d read the words “hip hop”, “Oz” and “UK” in the same sentence and I’d made up my mind.

Everybody knows that only on the rare occasion does good hip hop come from anywhere but the US, and sometimes, rarely, the Brits create something worth listening to in that genre, and as for Australia, well we’re still treading that “well it’s not making my ears bleed, so that’s good” line. But Nine High, they’ve managed to prove me wrong. Their self-titled debut album is an impressive offering which is sure to launch them into the mainstream. It’s not phenomenal and it’s not likely to have any sort of significant impact on the music scene, but it’s most definitely a good record which will make a few people happy to realise that not all hip hop nowadays is not actually hip hop but gangsta rap which actually isn’t gangsta rap but either a series of incomprehensible noises (think, Lil' Jon, Soulja Boy...) or egomaniacal, capitalist obsessive wankery (Kanye West, etc).

Nine High divide their time between Australia and the UK but they’re all British and the accents add a nice touch to the songs. The beats don’t stand out particularly but the lyrics are fantastic and delivered really well by three skilful and captivating MCs. They rap about everything from the music industry and all its imperfections to ethics within the hip hop scene/community to laws restricting the growing of hydroponic to growing up troubled. Their lyrical style is clever and very amusing at times so you won’t be tuning out halfway through – they’ll hold your attention right through the 15 tracks on the album.

This is an at times serious and intense album but it’s overall fun and witty and I would recommend any hip hop, rap or grime fans to give it a listen. If you don’t like any of it, you’ll surely at least be amused by the opening track – Fugs Need Hugs. http://www.thedwarf.com.au/nd/albumreviews/nine_high_nine_high

NOW GO GRAB A COPY!!! AND IF THEY SAY THEY AINT GOT IT, THEY'RE PROBABLY LYING AND ITS IN A BOX OUT THE BACK!!!