Albums of the Year # 1 Greentea Peng - MAN MADE

 Both my album and song of the year are by the same artist this time round. Not an objective judgement of any sort. Just my own favourites.

 I am fifty five years old and very much aware of it. When I hear a record like this, Man Made, the debut album from Greentea Peng, very much a Yoof and London album, the sound of multicultural UK, my immediate thought is that I'm not perhaps, the constituency it was made for.

Except that it's clearly a very groovy record and I can very much get behind that. Greentea Peng may not care about the balding, might as well be grandad, at the back of the hall but he cares about her. Because, to invoke a huge cliche, 'this is massive.'

It's the kind of record that we've been making well here in the UK for almost thirty years. Since Massive Attack, Tricky, Leftfield and a bit later Ms. Dynamite. It's determined on the same basic factors. Soul, R & B, Reggae, cool rhythms and literate, righteous rapping underpinned by a vague urban unease. It bubbles away with languid grace. I'm on my second play now and am already preparing myself to buy a copy as soon as I can.

Greentea Peng in her words is a 'Psychedelic R&B' singer and songwriter from South East London and keeps her beats loose and the mood mellow for the most part though the lyrics are informed and engaged. 

It's melodic and funky and should appeal to parents, and possibly even Grandparents, who remember this kind of vibe from way back when as well as their kids, who might be slightly nonplussed that the oldies like this too.

Aria Wells, who is Greentea Peng, has already, as she aproaches her late twenties,  had a varied and worthwhile life experience judging by the variation in mood and mode of attack evident on Man Made and the basic biographical background detailed here . She's already also had a slight nod from Pitchfork's direction so this might well have hipster cache. 

Never mind about that Greentea Peng, It Starts With a Birthstone has noticed you too and vastly approves of this. So clearly, the sky's the limit! If you're looking for the place where the UK is at this place or at least should be, there are worse places to look than here.