Tuesday 04/03/03 Buck 65, Blackalicious @ Academy 2, Liverpool

Direct from Nova Scotia via Paris, Buck 65 is a curious anomaly in these bling, bling hip-hop days. Coming across like Billy Bob Thornton sharing slugs of moonshine with 'Mellow Gold' era Beck, Buck 65's stock in trade are home spun tales of country hicks set to sparsely programmed beats and crap scratching. Illuminated by a solitary red lamp (which is a constant companion as he prowls the stage) and with brilliantly laconic between songs banter, it all, however, ends up working surprisingly well. Finishing off with a yarn of how he came to rapping from square dance calling (becoming Buck 65 in the process), part poet, part bo-ho lo-fi rapper, Buck is welcome proof that there is hip-hop life beyond your multi million selling, one dimensional rap monolith's.

Formed way back in 1991 by Chief Xcel, Blackalicious' story is one of consistent underground acclaim and toil that has finally seen them bag a major label deal with MCA Records. Featuring former RATM bundle of righteous fury, Zach de La Rocha, Gill Scott Heron and Money Mark on new album 'Blazing Arrow' and with the promise of 'convention crushing experimentation', the initial signs looked promising for tonight. A genre hopping ride aboard the Outkast 'Stankonia' express? A Roots Manuva style flagrant tearing up of the rule book? A proficient re-working of a one dimensional rap formula unfortunately, that fails to live up to much of the hype and it's A-list associations. But despite reservations, this isn't to say that there is nothing good to be found from the Blackalicious set. The scattershot rhymes are fired off with pinpoint precision by Gift of the Gab, whilst the twin backing vocals provide a genuinely soulful edge to the performance.

Eventually, despite several well-recognised rabble rousers, it all ends up becoming shudderingly predictable as your appreciation of the sharp delivery starts to wear thin. Not Old Skool enough to have that Missy Elliot/Jurassic 5 appeal and not sufficiently "out there" to be rivalling your Outkasts and your N*E*R*D's, Blackalicious find themselves occupying that neither one thing or another middle ground.