Although they hail from Long Beach, California, Ugly Duckling and their debut Journey to Anywhere couldn't be further afield philosophically from Snoop Dogg, the MC who put their hometown on the hip-hop map. With Andy Cooper and Dizzy Dustin kicking simple yet engaging rhymes and DJ Young Einstein hauling out jazzy midtempo beats apparently dusted off from the late 1980s and early 1990s, Ugly Duckling are as defiantly throwback as the gold chains they occasionally rock. Add a goofy sense of humour to the mix and the nonsensical anti-jiggy flavour of "A Little Samba" starts to make absolute sense. After single-handedly attempting to resurrect the usage of the word "fresh" in hip-hop circles on their debut EP, Fresh Mode, this entertaining long-player picks up where they left off, staying true to the intangible essence of hip-hop while remembering to have fun. Now that's F-R-E-S-H. --Del F Cowie
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