REVIEW FROM CANBERRA TIMES

Another pretty sick review! Nice nice...click on it to enlarge and read properly

REVIEW IN TNT MAGAZINE

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PLANET URBAN REVIEW

Another good review, still waiting on the inevitable bad one from somebody : )

Okay now I have to admit I’m not big on UK Hip Hop. I respect it and its artists for doing their thing and such, but let’s just say you normally would not find any UK Hip Hop on my iPod – period. Yet I’ve recently reconsidered my stance on this upon hearing Nine High’s eponymous debut album. I feel like The Scrooge getting visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past...telling me my music collection will not be complete without this.

Comprised of Brit trio Scotty Hinds, Felony and Fraksha, the group hold the honest approach to Hip Hop, by speaking their minds, telling a story, getting your ass moving or getting your head vibing by any means necessary.

A perfect example of this is Cookout. Weaved together with low xylophone keys, this is about (yep, you guessed) cookouts, barbecues, shindigs and the like. Even if you’re a hardcore vegan, you’ll still appreciate the selection of such a cross-cultural yet rarely touched-on topic to which all can relate. The only way to define this joint is pure, unadulterated FUN!

Driff Banger contains a speedy, loud, heavy beat (produced by Driff), and it is only right that these boys rap fast over it. However, the beat itself does quickly become a chore to listen to; perhaps what saves this track is how well the first verse is executed with Bone Thug-like flow. Unfortunately, though the battle lyrics of all three emcees here are above par for hard, the second and third verses just don’t keep up with the first flow-wise, bringing an inconsistency to it which makes it skippable after the first verse.

Now, when you find sequels to artists’ songs it is usually inter-album – Nine High have broken this tradition by including Life in parts 1, 2 and 3 spread out through the album, and the real shocker is the hat-trick really works, as each one is a total win! Life Pt.3 is a personal favourite of mine, chiming in with Oriental strings sent from the Far East that carry the beat. Content-wise, this contrasts Parts 1 and 2, as it is a generally darker and a tad more melodramatic retrospective outlook on life, which only accentuates how versatile these dudes are. Also peep out the piano-laden Alone Time if you vibe with this.

Some will relate to Nine High more than others but by no means is that supposed to stop anybody from enjoying it; after all, we don’t all relate to crack, cash, cribs and Cadillacs either. Though their flow can at times seem to not lock in as tightly as you would want, if you can objectively appreciate flat-out honest lyricism, you sir and or miss, are most certainly a fan of Hip Hop and should therefore go out and cop this album.
http://www.planeturban.com.au/album_reviews/nine_high

ANOTHER REVIEW...

From 'The Place' Streetpress...

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!!!