I am always skeptical with sophomore albums. But with Kings & Queens, Jamie T. (Jamie Treays), has changed my perspective. Jamie is a Wimbledon, South London native and blends a mix of indie rock mentality with a underground hip-hop edge; but it is His lyrics that have dubbed him ‘the new urban poet’ of the United Kingdom. In the same vein as The Streets, Mike Skinner and The Arctic Monkeys, Alex Turner, Jamie T. smartly blends the lifestyles of a twenty-something with the experience of someone far far older.

Kings and Queens kicks of with with the exact amount, in milliliters, of alcohol to get inebriated (368) and ends in self-loathing of a Girl who won’t return his feelings(Jilly Armeen). Smashed in between features social commentary ranging from how American’s bicker that Obama sounds like Osama (Spider’s Web) and how British surveillance paranoia (British Intelligence) effects daily life.

With a step in the right direction from 2006’s Panic Prevention, the scare of an all folk album has turned into one of the Best Albums of 2009.

Erik Clawson

(MP3 - The Man’s Machine)