Influential

Unfortunately for the Bradford bassline trio, 'Influential' lacks both the consistency of 'Disrespectful' and the originality of 'Full Wack No Brakes'. Instead, what is provided is a mixed bag which teeters on the energy of earlier sounds, but too often falls into mediocrity. They've got the formula right: enlisting previous collaborators such as Abi Flynn and Local alongside more popular names such as Majestic and Kyla, the latter of which being known for her contribution to Drake’s 2016 smash-hit ‘One Dance’. Perhaps it’s just that the fad’s worn thin; what was once novel about Bad Boy Chiller Crew is now tired, and at times irritating. Admittedly, the record starts strong: the group’s collaboration with Nines, ‘Toxic’ opens the album with a breath of fresh air before early highlights ‘My Place’ and ‘On My Way’ bring energy and a rare glimpse of maturity, respectively. Singles ‘When It Rains, It Pours’ and ‘Sliding’ manage to simultaneously explore new ground and call back to the early sound of Bad Boy Chiller Crew; it seems that from here, deterioration occurs in terms of both quality and entertainment. ‘Spaceship’ verges on unlistenable, and the trio’s re-work of Cher’s ‘Believe’ comes across as dull and derivative. A return to their strongest moments is present on both ‘George Best’ and ‘Skank All Night’, the latter of which is destined to have nightclub floors bouncing for a good while, yet overall Bad Boy Chiller Crew struggle to retain their momentum and energy across the 22 tracks, meaning that the album as a whole has no chance of being ‘Influential’, though that’s what they may have aimed for