Public Warning [Clean] [Edited] (CD - 2006)

Personnel: Lady Sovereign; Missy Elliott (rap vocals); Dr. Luke (various instruments, programming); Gabriel Olegavich (guitar, synthesizer, drums); Jonas Jalhay, Edmund Cavill (guitar); Jamie Teasedale (synthesizer); Nathan "Tugg" Curran (drums); Basement Jaxx (programming); Adam "DJ Am" Goldstein (scratches).

Audio Mixers: Tom Elmhirst; Adam Pendse; Serban Ghenea.

Recording information: Atlantic Jaxx; Eden Studios, London, England; Right Track Studios, New York, NY; Sweat Shop Studios; The Dairy, London, England.

Illustrator: Gia.

Photographer: Nichell Delvaille.

Alongside Dizzy Rascal and the Streets, Lady Sovereign is among the most hyped hip-hop acts to emerge from the U.K. in the 2000s. Thankfully, neither the hype machine nor her high-profile recording deal with Def Jam blunt any of the thrilling impact or power of PUBLIC WARNING, the artist's 2006 full-length debut. In large part this is because Sovereign doesn't water down her grime roots for crossover appeal. She never lets up on her wild, hard-fast rhyme style, lessens the battery of working class Brit slang, or works with anyone but her spectacular long-time producer Medasyn.

This is not to say PUBLIC WARNING isn't accessible. The album is packed with hooks, from the carnival-Bollywood bounce of opener "9 to 5" to the giddy sing-along on the chorus of "Hoodie," the album's first single. In fact, the disc strikes a near perfect balance between delicious, pleasure-giving production and the unadulterated spirit of underground hip-hop, elevating both in the process for a set that's purely creative and individual. PUBLIC WARNING sets its own terms, and in doing so outdistances any hip-hop release of 2006.

As her full-length debut was set to drop, the buzz around the brash U.K. MC named Lady Sovereign was unavoidable. Before most everyone actually heard her, they knew a few things: she was the first non-American to get signed to Def Jam; she had her chance with the ultra-hip producers the Neptunes and came up with nothing; and Jay-Z signed her on a single freestyle. Thankfully, Public Warning is stunning, better than the hype machine could ever paint it, with jaw-dropping, busy production and sharp, spunky lyrics that whiz by and back up this pint-sized rebel's serious b-girl stance. What's most brilliant is that despite the hype, and most likely because folks like the Neptunes are not on here, the album captures the talented rapper with only one foot out of her parent's flat, barely touched by the dreadful "music business" and one step above freestyles posted on U.K. garage message boards. Rules are still made to be broken, slang is slung all over the place, and belching into the mic is still fun, especially when your producer -- in this case, the razor-sharp Medasyn -- can shuffle it into an impossible mix that ping-pongs like the Streets in double-time. Sovereign is unmistakably an unposh Brit, and "My England" declares, "London ain't all crumpets and trumpets/It's one big slum pit." While some U.K. street slang requires a search engine to make sense to the non-Brit, her preference for playing her PS2 instead of going to a job and general slacker attitude are identifiable to dropouts everywhere. In fact, either the great "Hoodie" or the simple but effective "Love Me or Hate Me" could be a world-wide crunchy-people anthem, and relating to "Tango" is easy if you've ever known some dreadful beautiful person who fake-tanned until they were horribly, entirely orange. The arc of the album shows some mercy for the U.K. rap novice, easing the listener in with smoother tracks before the Chingy-biting "Random" ("Some English MCs getting' twisted/Saying cookies instead of biscuits") and the hyper title track ("I'm that walking dictionary, I'm that talking thesaurus/I'm that old-school prehistoric Soversaurus") ramp up to the raw and whirlwind middle section. The only time the album feels anything close to forced or touched by posh hands is when a concession is made for the Yanks and when Missy Elliott is needlessly tacked onto the "Love Me or Hate Me" remix. Otherwise, Def Jam stays wisely out of Sov and Medasyn's way, and the thrilling tracks are just enough dog, just enough leash. It's something her hardcore fans are well aware of, since the bulk of the album has been available previously on indie 12"s and EPs. For them, Public Warning is a slight disappointment, a mere compilation with a handful of new tracks. For everyone else, it's an exciting introduction to an extraordinary artist captured at just the right time. [Public Warning was also made available in a clean version, with all explicit material removed.] ~ David Jeffries minimize