NICK KNOWLEDGE – SOUL SAMPLE SIDE A

To say an MC talks too much might sound silly, but in this case it’s true. A brashly handled tribute to The Big Lebowski via a reworking of Bob Dylan’s The Man In Me starts off this second disc from Sydney’s Nick Knowldege; the intro tells us in blunt rhymes slightly more than we need to know about Nick’s German upbringing (but Aussie accent?), and draws an overblown parallel with our host and Jeff Bridges’ infamous “The Dude” character (he’s obviously a fan of the film). But Knowledge and his compatriot producer Lunatronic live up to their promise of soul samples, despite the Dylan intro, as the instrumental Dusty Perfect highlights the first half of the album before hitting us with the draw card, the title track Soul Sample featuring 90s hip hop legend Masta Ace. But Masta Ace sounds tired and withdrawn – a shadow of his former bombastic self – and we’re left feeling like the collaboration didn’t quite get there. Nick and Lunatronic hits us quickly and earnestly with another collaboration track, You And I, with a head count of seven guests rapping in three languages intimating that maybe they’re over-compensating for something here. While the production is technically solid and the soul samples pleasant, Side A is taking us through the motions, covering syllables, not new ground.

**1/2