Yesterdays Gone
Deep-thinking South London rapper Loyle Carner bares his soul on his confessional, jazz-infused hip-hop debut, *Yesterday’s Gone*. On dramatic opener “The Isle of Arran,” he samples a rapturous choir and some funky guitar licks, using his soft-spoken flow to ponder the meaning of death. Elsewhere, “Ain’t Nothing Changed” finds the MC languidly reciting rhymes as if perched on a bar stool in a basement jazz club, chewing over the realities of financial debt while accompanied by bluesy saxophone and a boom-bap beat.
It’s not an exaggeration to claim this is one the most honest, soulful and inspiring debut British rap albums since Roots Manuva’s Brand New Second Hand.
South Londoner Loyle Carner’s debut album of emotive rap is confessional, soul-searching and very, very good
The Brit School graduate combines startlingly honest lyrics with Jurassic 5-esque beats
Croydon rapper Ben Coyle-Larner is candid and driven on a beguiling album that features a guest turn by his mum…
Loyle Carner's debut album, 'Yesterday's Gone' is about love and family is a hip hop record more interested in humility than egotism.
Carner’s domestic-flavoured rap works because of its modest scale, non-accusatory vulnerability and its perfect matching of music to lyrics