Professor Green: Alive Till I'm Dead

Here is a recipe for contemporary pop success. Take a grime MC, ladle over a melange of all strands of British urban and electronic music from the past 20 years. Then add a dollop of cheese. It's worked for Dizzee, Tinie, Tinchy et al, and now it's the turn of east London's Professor Green and his bevy of producers. They have done rather well for themselves, too. With a flow like an estuary Eminem and a humorous sensibility reminiscent of Lily Allen, this album bounces along on a bed of dubstep, dub reggae and shameless INXS lifts. It's coarse, but also curious, and on Closing the Door examines romantic fidelity with an honesty that only half a dozen MCs can have managed in the history of hip-hop. Pop music, yes, but sparky and cleverly composed pop that still has an ear for the club.