Phrase - Clockwork (2009)

The talent in Australian Hip Hop has never looked so good, and a significant amount of credit is owed to Phrase, who has demonstrated his worthiness of the praise with the release of his album "Clockwork".

The road to releasing this was by no means smooth sailing, however thankfully someone has picked up this collation of treats and mixed it up good and pretty.

There are few albums that provide enough motivation for me to take it out of the car CD player and into the house for further and repeated listening; "Clockwork" by this Melbourne boy definitely fits the bill.

Seemingly long ago there was a single released that effectively introduced Phrase to the Australian music scenes, which boosted the morale of his already loyal followers from his Aria nominated first album "Talk With Force", this single was Clockwork.

With a chorus that includes lines from The Windmills of Your Mind by Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman and Michel Legrand, and a decidedly honest story through lyrics, Clockwork will get to you and hopefully stir the treadmill that you’re running on.

The single that is next up for unleashing is Spaceship.

The first time I heard this song on the radio, I nearly flicked stations because I thought I had stumbled on a Mika song, but give it 15 seconds and Phrase will swing in with vocals encouraging you to leave the dial.

Then before you know it you are smashing your fist (hopefully on an inanimate object) in time to the syncopated rhythm, and singing “Where do we go, nobody knows…let's build a space ship”

The talent included on this album is another reflection of the well deserved place Phrase has in the Australian music scene.

Aussie musicians and artists who have worked on this album with Phrase extend from the expected ie Bliss and Eso (Persistance), Jackson Jackson (Paradise) and Daniel Merriweather (Chains) to almost left of field like Kram (Skylight) and Wendy Matthews (Day You Went Away), there is also Illy (Surrender) and Max White (Burn it Down).

Being a child of the 1990s, I was quite surprised to see Wendy Matthews name joining the line up on this track list, and even more surprised to see her hit Day You Went Away.

Phrase has reorchestrated this little track to delight even the older school music fans. If you are expectant of one of those fateful days where you think you’ll be inclined to hum or croon a little

“Hey, there's not a cloud in sight, it's as blue as your blue goodbye and I thought it would rain the day you went away” the take heart dear music lover and spin this number for some therapeutic relief.

There is something ironically comforting about the brutality of life being carefully crafted into a song.

All Good is a song that cuts the shit and honestly displays the roughness of a life with a badly dealt hand, however Phrase offers the inspiration of rising above circumstances “Who’da thought I’d come this far…I’m taking the truth with me to the top of the game”.

I could write a lot more about this album because every song deserves comment on the musical, philosophical and the intellectual content, but instead of reading, do yourself a favour and own it.

RATING: 4 out of 5

Brought To You By The Dwarf