Public Warning

by

Lady Sovereign

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Lady Sovereign has taken Amercian colleges by storm and now she's ready to take over the American mainstream music industry. Her recently released Public Warning is by far the best album I've heard in a very long time. Lady SOV, as she is most often called, is fresh and new and with her eclectic style and inability to fit into any one genre this Brit is sure to make her mark in America. For those who are looking for something different this is definitely the album to buy and if you like remixes purchase her first compilation Vertically Challenged which contains the track (The Battle) that helped boost Lady Sovereign's career as well as other well known tracks and remixes. Love and support "The Biggest Midget In The Game" AKA Lady Sovereign.

21 year old Louise Harman (aka Lady Sovereign) is mad as hell, and she ain't going to take it anymore on her full length debut, "Public Warning". To her credit, as an English, female, and short rapper, she avoids typical rapper pitfalls such as rapping about sex, money, bling, being better than everyone else, drugs, etc., etc. Instead she focuses on socialism, classism, self-affirmation, and yes, overuse of suntan salons.

She's had several hits in Britain already, but in America her first single is the extremely catchy and also obnoxious "Love Me Or Hate Me", with a humorous video to go along with it. At least Ms. Harman doesn't take herself too seriously like so many pompous rappers today. Some other potential hits could be "9 To 5" (not Dolly Parton's version), "Random" and "Hoodie".

I found "My England" to be one song that showcased what Ms. Harman could be capable of in the future (assuming she sticks with this music thing). In "My England" she gives a scathing portrait of and England unlike what foreigners perceive as filtered through the media. That's okay, I always thought the true England was more Sex Pistols, The Clash and "Trainspotting" (which is Scottish, but close enough) anyway. I also found the title track to be an interesting change-up of punk/hip hop/rock/rap.

There are a few missteps like "Gatheration", "A Little Bit Of Shhh" and "Those Were The Days" that were dull.

Overall, "Public Warning" shows promise if Lady Sovereign can overcome the one-hit wonder, novelty act label, she might just go on to be the only white, female, British, biggest-midget in the game.