A-Love - Ace of Hearts (Album)
From the outset, I will say that anyone who raps the line ‘the name’s A-love, not “hey love, show us ya tits”’ is cool with me. You’re probably asking yourself ‘Wow. Is that the best lyric I’ve ever heard?’ And well you might. And if you haven’t heard the opening track and single off Ace of Hearts, ‘Love Is’, with it’s catchy chorus and wicked samples, it probably means you have been off living in a cave somewhere fending off yeti by scattering the scent of your urine around in a bottle. For a classic summer anthem, look no further. Now, I’m not the type just to listen to singles on an album, but the standard of this single is high enough that one might wonder whether the rest of the album might have trouble being of the same high standard.
Look, the rest of the album is quite good, but overall, it ends up feeling a tad patchy. To be fair the ‘queen’ of Melbourne hip hop, A-love, is only 22 years old and she is positively busting with talent. Obscenely so, even. Like all good MC’s, she has a great insight into social rituals, such as track 5 ‘Girls Night’ where she accurately paints a typical night out in Melbourne with 20-something girls (how a 27 year married man knows what is typical is hard to say) and a keen awareness and lyrical agility with the tale of karma and consequence on the track ‘Freddy’s Revenge’.
And whilst there is a lot of clever and insightful commentary on Ace of Hearts there is also a feeling that a few of the tracks are merely album filler material. There are no bad tracks and all the production and guest spots are tight, but the majority of tracks simply don’t stack up to the album’s highlights. A-Love’s youthfulness adds a playfulness and energy that is both cheeky and socially aware, and a lot of her wordplay is insightful and engaging. Despite this, the album is not what I’d class as a ‘must have’ addition to your hip hop collection due to its ups and downs and, um, patchiness.
Having said this I have no doubt that A-love actually is the queen of Melbourne hip hop and you’d do well to pre-order a copy of her next album, as it will an absolute firecracker.
