Showtime

At its core, Showtime is a classic sophomore album in the hip-hop sense: puffy with bluster, brimming with indignation.

If Showtime isn't the equal artistic success of Boy in da Corner, it's slightly superior, stunning for the facts that it arrives so swiftly after the debut and is far from a retread.

Lyrically it's astonishing.

The album naturally lacks the shock of the new, the jolt of Boy in Da Corner-- instead, it's a consolidation of his strengths, lyrically and sonically, and a more satisfying listen than its predecessor.

This is cerebral, intricate and inventive electronically-based music that is certainly hip-hop in ethic and inspiration, but channelled through a uniquely British conduit, interpreted by one of the more intriguing urban poets of recent times.

That Dizzee is the most dextrous and quotable MC Britain has ever produced is beyond dispute, but any rapper, however gifted, needs something to rap about, and the trials of fame offer diminishing returns.

Dizzee has learned how to gene-splice his uniquely atonal Manchester sound with a variety of popular beat styles.