A Roll Deep return could go a lot of ways. Curiously, this is a Roll Deep without Wiley, but his patented Eski sound is a looming presence, especially on opener ‘Zoo’. Production on five of the eight tracks comes from Manga Saint Hilare’s long standing collaborator Lewi B (the producer behind much of his flawless run through the late 2010s and early 2020s), but it doesn’t feel like a Manga-driven record. Thankfully, this is a decidedly cohesive team effort that doesn’t rest too heavily on any one member’s talent and is closer to the rowdiness of 2007’s ‘Rules & Regulations’ rather than — and this is a compliment — the more melody-driven, almost R&G charm of 2005’s ‘In at the Deep End’ (although ‘Entourage’ taps into some of that album’s heavier moments). It’s rugged, it’s brash, and it scratches a deep itch, but certain members are conspicuous by their absence.
