It’s a timeless theme in music – the struggle to get out of the ghetto and rise above the ills of the hood. Fair enough, too, because it’s easy to understand how living in unjust poverty can frustrate and inspire artists to meditate upon and write song after song about it. This time around it’s Stephanie McKay’s turn to set her boots upon the well-worn ghetto angst path, having previously collaborated with such legendary names as  Mos Def, Talib Kweli and Tricky, as well as releasing the well-received McKay in 2001.

 

Tell it Like it is is an infinitely-polished collection of R&B tracks with a bit of a funk/soul veneer to assist with swallowing. McKay does well with standouts ‘Jackson Avenue’, with its instantly catchy refrain (complete with obligatory “Everybody say hooo!”), and soulful ‘This Letter’, which chills out the poppy beats for a much needed breather. Elsewhere it’s fairly standard R&B pop faire – nice enough, but nothing really to distinguish itself from Beyonce or J-Lo on an embarrassing jaunt down memory lane. ‘Fiya’ descends completely into the dancehalls for an electronica-driven blunder, while ‘Where Did Our Love Go?’ is a sing-by-numbers post-breakup duet with soul crooner Anthony Hamilton.

 

 

The strength of Tell it Like it is is when it forsakes this vanilla pop for strait-laced funk, and especially when it lyrically strays from love and nice things to the realities of life in the ghetto. “A young brother with a bright future’s been shot and killed / Saw it on the news a brother’s been accused / how’s the supposed to make me feel?” McKay asks in the titular track. And though it is a well-worn track to be treading, this kind of musing nonetheless adds depth to a production that is often in danger of becoming cringingly syrupy.

 

Unfortunately ironic for an album called Tell it Like it is, McKay seems happy enough to present these woes of the ghetto without ever probing any more deeply. As such, even the best tracks come across as detached observations rather than anything meaty or insightful, like the best soul music manages to be. But for what this album is – pop laced with a tinge of funk – Tell it Like it is is an enjoyable enough endeavour. Let’s hope next time Steph won’t stop at just telling it like it is, and pushes herself above the slick production to say something meaningful.