Customer Reviews

Public Warning

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

21 year old Louise Harman (aka Lady Sovereign) is mad as hell, and she ain't going to take it anymore on her full length debut, "Public Warning". To her credit, as an English, female, and short rapper, she avoids typical rapper pitfalls such as rapping about sex, money, bling, being better than everyone else, drugs, etc., etc. Instead she focuses on socialism, classism, self-affirmation, and yes, overuse of suntan salons.

She's had several hits in Britain already, but in America her first single is the extremely catchy and also obnoxious "Love Me Or Hate Me", with a humorous video to go along with it. At least Ms. Harman doesn't take herself too seriously like so many pompous rappers today. Some other potential hits could be "9 To 5" (not Dolly Parton's version), "Random" and "Hoodie".

I found "My England" to be one song that showcased what Ms. Harman could be capable of in the future (assuming she sticks with this music thing). In "My England" she gives a scathing portrait of and England unlike what foreigners perceive as filtered through the media. That's okay, I always thought the true England was more Sex Pistols, The Clash and "Trainspotting" (which is Scottish, but close enough) anyway. I also found the title track to be an interesting change-up of punk/hip hop/rock/rap.

There are a few missteps like "Gatheration", "A Little Bit Of Shhh" and "Those Were The Days" that were dull.

Overall, "Public Warning" shows promise if Lady Sovereign can overcome the one-hit wonder, novelty act label, she might just go on to be the only white, female, British, biggest-midget in the game.

Lady Sovereign has taken Amercian colleges by storm and now she's ready to take over the American mainstream music industry. Her recently released Public Warning is by far the best album I've heard in a very long time. Lady SOV, as she is most often called, is fresh and new and with her eclectic style and inability to fit into any one genre this Brit is sure to make her mark in America. For those who are looking for something different this is definitely the album to buy and if you like remixes purchase her first compilation Vertically Challenged which contains the track (The Battle) that helped boost Lady Sovereign's career as well as other well known tracks and remixes. Love and support "The Biggest Midget In The Game" AKA Lady Sovereign.

First off, "Tango" over "Cha-Ching"? Well I guess they couldn't have two songs that mention eminem and "Blah Blah" hadn't been much released yet. Its too bad though cause I always though Cha-ching was one of her best, in fact its the song I use to introduce her to people, and almost everyone has liked it.

Also I like Tango, but the public warning version is not very good. Its all hard and angry, which, on such a goofy song sounds kinda out of place.

Sad (but not surprising) to see so many repeats of her old stuff, Its all still awesome though so any new comers will be more than happy.

People who were already fans will appreciate the new songs, "Public warning" and "love me or hate me" (and "blah blah" if you hadn't heard it) capital among the albums best. Could do without "Those were the days" but the rest is either solid, good or great.

Worth the buy for both new and old fans. But new fans, pick up vertically challenged for "cha-ching" and "the battle" if nothing else. Well worth it.

Niiiiiiccceee! Saw SOV for the first time on Letterman & knew we had to hear more. Fierce stuff from "da biggest midget in da game." Undeniable talent, fresh flow, rapid-fire rap (tho' do I detect a bit of digital assist with her speed-rap on the title track? Have to see her live to know for sure......) Crisply produced, great effort here. Check out the remix for "Love Me or Hate Me" w/Missy Elliott. Surpasses the original edit by far. Great stuff! Love her or hate her - we love her & can't wait for more!

Lady Sovereign seems to bring everything together for her 2006 release Public Warning. The album is a noticeable improvement from her earlier release, Vertically Challenged, and seems to have a more consistent, direct, and polished sound. Lady Sovereign's tongue in cheek lyrics and habit of poking fun at others as well as herself is a reflection of similar artists such as Eminem, The Streets, and mc chris. Her overall sound is like that of U.K. mc's Ms. Dynamite and Lilly Allen. Though Lady Sovereign is often said to be the female Eminem and is also compared with other rap/pop artists hailing from the UK like The Streets and Lilly Allen, Public Warning is a fusion of rap, pop, house, drum and bass, as well as reggae. Love or Hate Me and Hoodie are certainly catchy tracks worth checking out. The remix of Love or Hate Me is probably one of the strongest tracks on the entire album. Songs such as Tango are full of the comedic and memorable lyrics Lady Sovereign is known for, very similar to the sound of nerd-core artist mc chris. Many of the tracks on this album do sound much the same, and can seem a bit repetitive at times. If you enjoy Eminem and The Streets....get your hands on this!!!

Very few white female rappers seem to be able to make it in the game, possibly because they either try too hard (Sarai) or they don't try hard enough (Northern State). All arguments aside, I remember first reading about Lady Sovereign in the 2005 Love/Hate issue of XXL, and I didn't really know who she was except that she was on Def Jam. I didn't get to hear her Vertically Challenged EP, but I have to say that I enjoy her full-length debut, Public Warning.

Be advised, though: Lady Sov's style isn't best classified as "standard" rap. She's actually an English grime artist, which IS still rap, but it isn't structured the same way as rap in the States is. Fortunately, her music is more accessible than, say, Dizzee Rascal's; and although her thick accent is wholly evident within her rhymes, it's easier to stand than, say, the Streets'. Notable tracks include "9 to 5", "Fiddle with the Volume" and, of course, "Love Me or Hate Me".

There is also a necessary end-of-album remix-of-the-first-single featuring Missy Elliott, and although it's good, it seems like Missy just changed her style to suit Sov's (but Missy changes her style on every song she does anyway, so maybe that's not that big of a deal). But the only real problem with the album is that there are a lot of otherwise great songs that have questionable choruses, especially "Blah Blah Blah". "Random" seems like a bad attempt to introduce new slang, and the chorus to "Tango" doesn't make any sense. But there are still enough good moments to qualify Lady Sovereign as a force not to be reckoned with, so pick Public Warning up.

Anthony Rupert

I used to be a "fan" of rap (among other music, of course) during the mid/ late nineties - you know, a time when mainstream rappers like tupac, biggie, nas, and outkast were putting out quality music. Fast forward to 2006, and although the times have changed, mainstream rappers are still rapping like it's the 90s; objectifying women, pushing products, and insulting each other with lame, boring beats. I gave up on rap for the past 6 years or so, that is until I heard Lady Sovereign's album.

Lady Sovereign has a better flow than any female rapper I've ever listened to (and yes I know about Jean Grae, etc) and a better flow than most any mainstream rapper today. Her songs, although considered "rap" have elements of jungle, electronic, and reggae sprinkled throughout. It's because of the various musical influences and amazing beats that the greater part of this album is danceable in addition to being fun to listen to. So thanks for allowing me to believe in rap (as an art form) again, Lady Sovereign.

To other people who are on the fence about buying this album - please buy it. It's a great high-energy album with above-average lyrics, and a flow that's on fire. We need the musical pendulum to swing this way; no more hyphy, crunk, or gangsta rap, please.

I was very impressed with how cheap this album was when I purchased it. It came to somewhere around eight bucks. As others have mentioned, a few of these songs have been available on her EP for a while now and if you've seen her live (I have twice) you probably know almost everything on this CD. But I skipped buying the EP and went straight to this because I generally don't care for remixes. This album was very solid. The beats are what hooked me in. When I saw her open for The Streets, she was playing "Hoodie" as I walked in and from that point on she's had my full attention. Nothing beats some brit rap.

I've been a fan of Lady Sovereign for over a year now and hoped that her new tracks would stay true to her original sound. I love the new album and was happy that some of the older tracks like 9 to 5 and Hoodie were included since they were not on 'Vertically Challenged'.

Here's how I rate the album:

#1 - 9 to 5 - This is the first SOV song I heard. Seen the video on IMF and have been hooked ever since. People who compare her to eminem are completly wrong, she's in a league of her own.

#2 - Gatheration - Love the base track and the rhymes. Great song.

#3 - Random - This has been my favorite SOV song.

#4 - Public Warning - Love the tempo changes in her track and rhymes. (My two boys favorite track) It's insane how fast she can spit words out.

#5 - Love Me Or Hate Me - Love SOV's sound, love the base track, love the video. Nothing to hate here.

#6 - My England - Fun song though not one of my favorites.

#7 - Tango - Loooove the base track but the subject ????. This song is slowly growing on me.

#8 - A Little Bit Of Shhh - A great song. Also available on 'Vertically Challenged' with a remix.

#9 - Hoodie - This song is probably my second favorite track. Great song to dance to.

#10 - Those Were The Days - A slow down track. Not one of my favorites.

#11 - Blah Blah - Love the song, sooo SOV. F the critics. She is NO Feminem.

#12 - Fiddle with the Volume - A great song that is also available on 'Vertically Challnged' as a remix.

#13 - Love Me Or Hate Me feat. Missy Elliott - Missy ruined this track. Her style is completely wrong for this song. Luckily Missy's interuption is short. Love SOV, Hate Missy.

Buy this album along with her Vertically Challenged EP and you'll be hooked.

I'll always be a Lady Sovereign fan if she'll keep true to her original sound and not try to sound like the main stream [...] America listens to. Lady Sov's one of a kind!

This album is fantastic!! There is only two songs on the album I would consider throwaways, My England and Those Were the Days. Otherwise the album is great, with beats that are inventive and S-O-V really stepping it up a notch. This girl is just going to keep getting better and better so remember her name.