Falling Into Place Album Review

David Dallas’ chilled flow, pop culture references, intellectual lyrics and smooth hooks kind of makes him the male version of Lorde. Or since this is his third album and she is only 17, Lorde could be the female version of David Dallas. His new album Falling Into Place has just been released and its banging from the first track. Kicking off with the first of two collaborations with Ruby Frost, The Wire and funnily enough ending the album with the second RF track The Gate, Falling Into Place, is an instantly appealing auditory journey with effortless-sounding production. The beats through-out the album come from a variety of genre’s  - lounge, blues, drum ‘n’ bass, island grooves – but never overshadowing Dallas’s voice.

The first single, Runnin’ features a sample from gospel singer Sister Gertrude Morgan, it’s an obvious standout, foot stomping, hand clapping combined with the eerie gospelly sample makes it self-assured. Runnin’ has featured on ESPN Monday Night Football, the Madden 25 trailer, the FIFA 14 soundtrack and is being used by Major League Baseball. Like winning a marathon (or even finishing one), succeeding in the rap game requires incredible drive, stamina and self-discipline. And David Dallas has been at this for a while, but this time with help from Fire & Ice he takes a unique approach mashing dirty blues samples with his Pacific roots and though you could say it’s a darker record than previous releases, there’s no doubt that Dallas sound has matured and he has upped his game.

My Mentality has a crispness and power all of its own and is another great track. David Dallas always chooses phenomenal kiwi artists to collaborate with and showcase their talents while accentuating his own. On the album are Freddie Gibbs, Mareko, PNC & Spycc, Rokske, Ruby Frost as I stated before and Sid Diamond, so already you know it’s going to be really good!