Wiley: The Ascent – review

Last year in Marbella, while filming a video for his No 1 hit Heatwave, Wiley told the Guardian it was time to focus, to prioritise "the record with my name on". The notoriously eccentric MC/producer has, it seems, done just that with The Ascent. It's a calculated assault on the charts that has had time, money and talent lavished on it. The only problem is that, along the way, Wiley has lost what made him such a distinctive voice. There's a guest spot on every song; US stars rub up against UK MCs, while naturally there's room for Emeli Sandé. Production is similarly global but largely indistinguishable from any other EDM-R&B-hip-hop output on the market. There are legitimate bangers, such as First Class and So Alive, but few of the tracks have that wild Wiley kick, because he hasn't produced any of them. Meanwhile, the guests limit his space to roam and ramble lyrically. Wiley's humour is still evident, but it is matched by dull party talk. One hopes The Ascent will earn Wiley enough success to have scratched his pop itch for a while.