All City

1.ALL CITY
2.FORTUNE AND FAME-FEAT HOWLING JOHN STONE
3.WATUCAMEHERE 4-FEAT GURU (NYC)
4.EVERY CITY
5.MASTER MC
6.HOT TOWN
7.LIFE SPEED-FEAT STAMINA MC (UK)
8.CALM BEFORE THE STORM
9.TAKING IT OVER
10.SOME HOW
11.SUPER HEROES
12.SOULFIEND-FEAT HOWLING JOHN STONE
13.UNSTOPPABLE
Three years after releasing their third successive classic album, Downsyde are back to take over the Australian music scene once again with what is without any doubt one of their finest releases to date. Perth's favourite sons stepped out of the limelight amongst insatiable public hype in 2004 to rekindle their flame, travel the world and then re-unite with the mission statement to create their most impressive work to date. And, by all accounts, it's mission accomplished.

All City presents a significant amount of contrast to the listener. On one song, you'll find banging drums, blaring trumpets and latin percussion laced with light hearted, party-igniting lyrics, and then three songs later you'll be listening to insightful, often jaded, introspective tales littered over a more downbeat, moody soundtrack. Amongst all of the diversity presented in the album – one thing unites every track, and that's that they are all dripping in absurd amounts of funk.

After a minute and sixteen seconds of the funk dripping, anticipation building and atmosphere setting intro, All City, Downsyde kick off their return with one hell of a bang in the form of the LP's explosive first single, Fortune & Fame. In classic Downsyde style, the track combines driving horns, brain thumping drum kicks and an unforgettable hook courtesy of international man of mystery, Howling John Stone. Next up comes a track that has been the subject of rumours amongst the local music scene for the better part of the last year (and yes, it does exist), Downsyde's extraordinary collaboration with NYC's legendary Gangstarr frontman, Guru, in the form of Watucamehere 4, and it certainly lives up to the hype.

Following the anthemic Every City and the must-have of every hip-hop album, the braggadocio-riffic Master MC, the Downsyde boys give Joe Cocker a run for his money as they borrow the instantly recognisable tune from his monster hit Summer in the City on Hot Town. As usual, they infuse this with thumping percussion and a groove riddled bassline that instantly transforms this into a product of the new millenium.

The album's next track, Life Speed, signifies a tone change as we enter the second half of the album and what is undeniably the more light-hearted, upbeat, party-loving Downsyde and away from the some of the heavier themes that cover much of the album's earlier stanza. This track they are blessed with a captivating chorus compliments of the UK's drum & bass vocalist Stamina MC as they continue to push their eclectic boundaries.

After warming up with Life Speed they kick the party into full swing with the crowd-rocking Calm Before the Storm, which is surely more storm than it is calm and then knock the ball out of the park with the follow-up gem Takin' It Over which oozes an obscene serving of latin-saturated funk.

Some How sees the group's frontman, Optamus, opening up with uplifting, inspirational words of wisdom sandwiched inbetween an incredible sample-driven hook. Downsyde are twice as fresh as the average group so they naturally need to add in a second braggadocio track in the vein of Super Heroes. Throw in the old school funk spice of Soulfiend and then the boys are ready to wrap up their remarkable fourth album on an extremely high note with Unstoppable, which embodies sampling perfection.

Downsyde have always been a band that have always transcended the hip-hop tag as well as embracing it, and once again they're set to unite music lovers of all creeds with their pigeon-hole defying new masterpiece, All City.