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BUCK 65 Secret House Against the World WEA ***

These days, highly prolific rapper Richard Terfry bases himself in Paris, but the sound remains the same as it's always done since he first emerged from deepest Nova Scotia. Terfry remains one of the few young guns who tears along the common ground that exists between blues, folk and hip-hop. While that description may seem as if he's exploring early Beck terrain, his Tom Waits-like vocalising and singular vision direct you down some bizarre and often downright eerie garden paths. There are some delightful strings dipping in and out throughout (especially on The Floor), as Terfry tries new sounds for size. Yet it's his stories and the sweeping drama behind each one that still set him apart; Kennedy Killed the Hat, in particular, is a fine example of his engaging, articulate absurdism. www.buck65.com

Jim Carroll