LSK - or LEIGH STEPHEN KENNY to his Mum - is probably best known to you for his input on NGHTMARES ON WAX'S genius "70s/80s", but this Kent-born/ Leeds-based fella's a massively talented geezer in his own right, as "Outlaw" emphatically proves.
If (like me), you're of a vintage where you recall Two-Tone's finest movers and shakers like The Specials and The Beat, or you've rejoiced in the sweetest '70s Jamaican reggae, then you'll find "Outlaw" (LSK'S second album after his eponymous 1999 debut) a positive boon, as many of these delicious grooves have a similar, skanking feel, although that's not to condemn Leigh as some spurious nostalgia act as his hard-bitten, reality-fuelled rhymes are entirely contemporary.
Superb opening track "The Takeover" is a case in point. In a style wholly reminiscent of Mike Skinner (The Streets are namechecked in the lyric, pointing out factually that LSK was actually first to employ this approach), he relates a tale of hijacking Radio 1 dressed as bogus security guards. It's a witty, tense wordplay and works like an absolute dream.
The quality rarely lets up. There's a laid-back, but still militant take on "70s/ 80s," and the fantastic autobiographical tale "Stick To Ya Guns," where Leigh lays down his raison' d'etre. "All I wanted was to be a great narrator, always slightly left of centre", he raps, entirely credibly, before setting up a wise chorus about not being thrown off course with your goals. A design for life and no mistake.
The sparser "Rumours'n'Lies", meanwhile, finds Leigh espousing the importance of keepin' it real in an increasingly mercenary music business. "I would rather be screw-faced than two-faced any day", he concludes, over a backing that recalls the finest of the Trojan Records output. Top banana, as is the furious, commercialism-dissing skank of "Sound System."
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He throws further curves with the funky, horn-imbued groove of "No Big Deal", while the amusing, and ridiculously catchy lope of the new single "Rap Starr", finds Leigh in mega Toasting patois form (remember that?) and even gets away with namechecking Vanilla Ice.
The invention continues. "(Test Me)" incorporates dub, rap, breakbeats and a snatch of "Many Rivers To Cross" and it's frantically ace, as is his incredibly faithful cover of Bad Manners' lovely, mellow "Walking In The Sunshine", which confirms what we already knew: that Buster Bloodvessel was always the world's most unlikely hero.
After that it's just left for the album to sign off with the enduring love message of the Bill Withers-y "Life Without You." A fitting, together-we-stand ending to a deliriously good, unity-promoting record. Except it isn't, as the funky bass lines, peppy horns and gorgeous vocals of 'hidden track' "I Want You" actually deliver the post-script. By this time, the vibes feel so good we'll even tolerate the dodgy guitar solo that disrupts it momentarily.
"Outlaw" is a lovingly crafted, genre-straddling album from a man who clearly cares about both future and past. As ever, though, it's the present that truly counts and your primary concerns right now ought to include hearing this album. Leigh Stephen Kenny's time is surely now, so make sure you seek him out.
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