Album Review - Dweller - Record Of Achievement

One sentiment I hear a lot these days, mostly from the mature hip-hop fan incidentally, is that hip-hop is dead. Or rap died in the Nineties.
Anyone in possession of even half an ear could point you in the direction of some decent ish, you just have to dig a little deeper is all.
To whit, this new piece of wax from a man hailing from the North - Greater Manchester if we're being right and exact - and not afraid to wear his regional heart proudly on his sleeve. His upcoming album, Record Of Achievement, is the result of the blood, sweat and tears of two years of personal struggles making life choices that can only come about from having the determination and confidence to make the switch to the unknown. Has this gamble paid off? Only a fool would release a half-hearted collection of beats hoping they'd do the business and expect to hit paydirt. One listen to RoA and immediately you can hear the time and effort exuding in layer upon layer from the heartfelt, 'grown-up' lyrics to the sultry jazz licks that engulf the loops and rhythms.

My first foray into the world of Dweller was relatively recently when I heard him guesting on a couple of tracks on Haynesy's Dope Beat Biz Volume 1 (2019). With this full-length project Dweller now has room to stretch his legs and speak on anything his lips care to fall on. Whether it's bringing up the problem of stress ('World On My Shoulders'), supporting family ('Breadwinner') or an ode to the missus ('Queen of English'). Braggadocio is minimal, knowledge is subliminal.
Overall the album is filled with smooth, jazzy riffs and snappy snares with cool choruses to keep the earworm community alive and thriving. One of my favourite albums of the 1990s is Digable Planets' 'Reachin' (1993, Pendulum Records) and RoA reminded me a lot of it in parts.
It's honest and unapologetically humble whilst simultaneously audacious with the production - I can't think of the last time I heard snatches of Ellen DeGeneres, 'Frasier' or 'IT Crowd' over hip-hop beats.
This album is a definite headphone experience - late at night, rum & Coke, comfy chair. Your ears will thank you.

At this point it's worth noting that the album is not actually ready to snatch just yet. This isn't K-Tel and it isn't available in all good record shops. Dweller is self-releasing it via the crowdfunding route. To order a copy you will need to go to https://qrates.com/projects/19712?fbclid=IwAR1eTYfsI7VF_ZvGviwRt84uzUH3F-4sjdp2r5DD2tdS8cFjkps5DRnPQcU whereupon you can become a backer of the project. Only 100 punters (or 50 DJs!) need to open their wallets and this dream can become a reality.
With help from Lomax, Batfunk, Mastarblastar, Jonny Capicola and Ex-P, this album is so very worthy of your time. A lot has gone into it and it clearly shows.