Rock and rap have a chequered history together: their latest attempt at a rapprochement should have been Lil Waynes Rebirth, but repeated release delays seem to tell you all you need to know about that album. So its down to Ohio garage- blues duo The Black Keys to show this union can work. Following on from having Danger Mouse produce their last album, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney have now hooked up with Damon Dash (as executive producer) and a host of heavyweight hip-hop talent. The result is mostly good stuff if rather more politely restrained than youd have expected. Even the opener (called Coochie, for Gods sake) with lyrical absurdists Ludacris and overdriven, squally guitars is an oddly sober affair. But, maybe even because of that, Blakroc is a credible demonstration of how this fusion can cohere: theres lots to love in this tight-knit (under 40-minute) meeting of riffs and rhymes. Mos Def shows a comfortable ease with live instrumentation as he spirals into incantatory slam poetry for On The Vista; Baltimores Jay-Z-sound-alike NOE brings insouciant swagger; RZA and Pharoahe Monch confidently ride warping tremolo guitar and stomping bassline on Dollaz & Sense; and Raekwon is on point with superlative storytelling skills for the swirly psychedelia of Stay Off The F***ing Flowers. Blakroc isnt revolutionary but it reminds you these two great tributaries of black music have the potential to flow back together and create something special. Next step: take the gloves off. Siobhn Murphy Hip-hop Renaissance man Snoop Dogg currently shuffles roles from reality TV star to record label Creative Chairman, yet hes somehow found time to turn out this tenth studio album. If Snoops been Theres no getting round the fact that folk chanteuse Josephine Foster is an acquired taste: her voice is a pungent, quavering soprano which is all the more unsettling on this latest album for appearing virtually unadorned. If that wasnt enough, Graphic As A Star is based on poems by the 19th Timbaland has long given the impression that he really wants to be a pop star, making clingy guest appearances in his clients videos. Unfortunately, this sequel to his 2007 artist album Shock Value fails to make the same impact. Theres another hefty rnb/ rock guestlist here, including Nelly Furtado (on the single Morning After Dark) and Justin Timberlake, although he could have used a more selective door policy (who let Miley Cyrus and Chad Kroeger in?). Unfortunately, Timbalands once revolutionary techniques have begun to sound dated rather than coolly retro, and his vocals weigh these tracks down especially Timothy Where You Been, a sappy hook-up with Aussie rockers Jet. Timbaland now sounds like the crashing bore at his own party. Arwa Haider album Sea Sew late last year. From its highly personalised sleeve featuring the singers own needlework to the delicate lullabies contained within, its very much her breakout record. Sea Sew sees Hannigan finally wriggling free from Rices shadow, armed with a stylistic trick or two from her former mentor. Bjrk-like warblings and songs such as Ocean And A Rock embody her new-found confidence, and though Sea Sew remains low-key, its a gorgeously arranged charmer that hugs you like a genial bear. Velimir Ilic Tonight & Dec 20, Vicar Street, 58-59 Thomas Street D8, 7.30pm, 28 (tonight returns only).Tel: 0818 719 300. www.lisahannigan.ie REISSUE CHOICE At first glance it might seem as if there is little to recommend Mick Flannery above the legions of other sweater- adorned singer- songwriters trying to bend your ear. Nonetheless, Flannerys way with a melody marks him out as a cut above your everyday steerage class strummer second album White Lies somehow manages to seem fresh and familiar at the same time. Nominated for the Choice Music Prize, the LP has been reissued for Christmas as a lavish deluxe edition the deluxe bit being a second disc containing a live concert recorded in his native Cork and the forthcoming single Christmas Past, his beguiling duet with Kate Walsh. Theres not a jot of fresh thinking here but, in a music scene overrun with staid singer songwriters, Flannery manages to sound unique. Eamon de Paor GIG Lisa Hannigan cheap Bum deal: Lisa Mulcahys (inset) film Situations Vacant is set in a recession- hit Ireland first television drama two episodes of RTs On Home Ground and this led to her tenure on The Clinic. It was a wonderful opportunity, she says of the medical drama. RT wanted to make a fast-paced, dramatic, pertinent series. They had huge ambitions for it. Without The Clinic to keep her financially afloat, Mulcahy could never have made Situations Vacant. She is fiercely proud of her debut film, but acknowledges that film-makers can only survive for so long working with (and for) peanuts. Situations Vacant might be a one off, but in the tenuous world of indie film- making, the fact it exists at all is a triumph. I couldnt make another film like this, she says. You can only do that for so long before people stop working with you. But if we hadnt stuck our necks out, Id still be sitting here not having made a film at all. Situations Vacant (15A) is in cinemas tomorrow Thursday, December 3, 2009 metrolife 23 Staying In Music Reviews Album Of The Week Blakroc: Blakroc V2 Josephine Foster: Graphic As A Star Fire Records Timbaland: Shock Value 2 Polydor Mick Flannery: White Lies (Deluxe Edition) EMI Snoop Dogg: Malice N Wonderland Priority/EMI century American recluse Emily Dickinson set to the barest minimum a frosted acoustic guitar, a slither of mouth organ, and often nothing at all. Still, go with it and this is often beautiful; Foster lending Dickinson a voice from beyond the grave as she imbues these gorgeous, deathly poems with a stately affirmation of life. Theres something of sounds lost on the wind about this record, partly because Foster mainly deals in fragments, but this is is a ghostly, richly solitary pleasure none the less. Claire Allfree After meeting Damien Rice at a Dublin bar and impressing him with her voice, Lisa Hannigan sang backing vocals and collaborated with the Irish singer for six years. Although her harmonies were a fundamental component of Rices hugely successful albums, O (2002), and its 2006 follow- up, 9, their fruitful musical relationship ended abruptly in early 2007, when Rice told Hannigan that her services were no longer required. The Irish chanteuse refocused, releasing a Mercury- nominated debut pressed for time, then it works to his advantage on Malice N Wonderland this is his tightest collection for years. Its not ground-breaking, but it is greatly entertaining. Thats Tha Homie is a bizarre name-dropping litany, where Snoop reveals that hes mates with Russell Crowe does that really earn you props, rather than a slap on the chops, in the hood? AH On key: The Black Keys oversee a strong crossover album index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html28.html29.html30.html31.html32.html33.html34.html35.html