"Again & Again," the second single from Roots Manuva's forthcoming long-player, Slime & Reason, is a summery blast of warmth and humor with a simple message to impart-- one doesn't have to be a plastic, manufactured "Pop Idol" to make popular music that people are going to love. While the album version of the tune is built around a classic Manuva production and Captain Pugwash keyboard, the single version was dreamt up by Shy-FX. The man took a day off from drum 'n' bass rollouts and instead added a full horn section and general liveness to get Mr. Manuva in a laid back, celebratory mood. It's a carnival-anthem-in-the-making but with the kind of easygoing charm that should take Manuva to a much, much wider audience without sacrificing any of the soul that has made him one of the UK's most consistent, innovative, and successful performers.
The package is rounded out by a couple of very fine remixes from Tony Thorpe, who, after recent successes with Erykah Badu and Amy Winehouse, has cooked up another fantastic remix as Moody Boyz with a militant steppaz feel and enough bass to keep everyone happy.
