While the press declared
The Fifth the album where
Dizzee Rascal played for America, the kinetic U.K. rapper told a different story, focusing on the production and how much he enjoyed rapping over these vibrant beats. "Having fun" is what they call it, and when
The Fifth hits on all cylinders,
Dizzee's explanation fits, as amusement overflows while delivered in the slickest manner possible in 2013. Looping a bit of
Laurie Anderson's "O Superman," the opening "Superman" gets crass with the avant-garde hit and twists it into an EDM-fueled, crotch-grabbing swaggerfest, while "I Don't Need a Reason" gives up "All I do is flex, I don't need a reason/All I want is sex, I don't need a reason" and suddenly the album has its credo. The polished disco cut "Goin' Crazy" is no "Bonkers," but both "Been around the world and never even left the room" and "Every single mornin', wake up in the afternoon" are quite clever, and when the Texas-worshipping "H-Town" spits out "Naw I don't drink that purple juice/But DJ Screw got me feelin' loose" the wacky meeting of U.K. and UGK goes legit. All of these lighthearted bangers come with massive hooks and cutting-edge production from the likes of
RedOne, A-Track, and
M.J. Cole, but when
will.i.am shows up the electro-sexo song "Something Really Bad," it's a
Far East Movement-chasing, "Like a G6" number that stalls. The closing monster "Bassline Junkie" touches upon the underground sound that launched the rapper, and feels like sweet relief after so much glitz and gloss, but tucked at the end, it's not much of an anchor. Carve out the ultimate party EP, or consider the highlights too high to miss, because this is
Dizzee at his breeziest and is best taken in little bits. ~ David Jeffries