Shystie:
Diamond in the Dirt

Release Date: 13 July 2004

Reviewed By: Monique Needham

1. Intro Skit

2. One Wish (Album Version)

3. Gutter

4. Step Bac

5. Woman's World (Gutlz Stand Up)

6. Questions (Game Show)

7. Make It Easy

8. Unfinished Bizness

9. Bank Robbery - feat, Ron, E Redeyez

10. Get Loose

11. Can't Play

12. Somedayz Skit

13. Somedayz

14. Armshouse

15. Juiced

Estelle - The 18th Day
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Now my first question when listening to this album is, what category does it fall into? Should ‘Diamond in the Dirt’ be classed as hip hop, garage or even R&B? I would say it was a cross between all three. One thing I know for sure is that it is pure, one hundred per cent British talent.

Nowadays, a lot of UK acts are trying to follow in the footsteps of the Americans. It’s fine to use them as inspiration, but when UK acts start sounding just like them, that’s just wrong. We have to stop and think, why we would want a copy when we can have the original? As for Shystie, ‘Diamond in the Dirt’ is straight outta London.

Shystie’s album opens with her ‘Intro’ where she talks about her life and struggles. It seems as though it is aimed at people who didn’t support her during her steps into the industry and by the sounds of it, she has made sure those ‘two-faced’ people know who they are. It does not have a beat behind it and is strictly acapella. It makes you focus on her lyrical content instead of being distracted by a beat. Many critics have made comments saying she is ‘on the defensive’ or ‘a bit touchy’ and they are probably right, but if you listen closely to her, she explains why.

You hear the female thug in her with her fast, triple rhyming flow on tracks like, ‘Step Bac’, ‘Woman’s’ World’, and ‘Bank Robbery’. Even though the album may sound quite hard and aggressive, Shystie shows her soft side and brings out her female element on ‘Make It Easy’ and ‘Unfinished Bizzness’. For those of you who enjoy those slow R&B tunes, ‘Unfinished Bizzness’ is the one for you, and has the sound of the Spanish guitar alongside relaxing vocals in the chorus.

‘Bank Robbery’ featuring Ron and E Redeyez is quite self explanatory, with Shystie emceeing about robbing a bank. Immediate responses would be that she is a role model and therefore shouldn’t be encouraging that kind of behaviour. But, like she says in ‘Questions’, ‘Look, don’t stereotype, because I’m from the ghetto/ I ain’t buss no guns’. So, when listening to the album you cannot take everything literally and assume that it is her own experiences she is talking about. She says, ‘It’s all about the fast money/ glamour and showbiz money/ I tax illegal money/...we’re gonna take this money’. She is telling us about things she has known and seen in her lifetime. Nevertheless, this track has a serious bass line which gives it a real grimy sound.

The problem with this album is that it begins to get boring towards the end because the tracks start to sound the same. By track nine, ‘Bank Robbery’, you have heard everything you need to hear and it feels pointless hearing the rest. For her first album, Shystie has done well and hopefully with her experience, because she has a unique style, her albums will get even better.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Three favourite tracks:
3) Gutter
5) Woman’s World
8) Unfinished Bizzness

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