Winter is here and judging by the political landscape, it's going to be a tough one. One glimmer of positivity, however, comes from South London rap queen Ms. Banks who's just dropped off her new album, The Coldest Winter Ever 2.
Fortunately, perhaps as an antidote to the times, this sequel is noticeably warmer and more upbeat than its predecessor. Production comes from a wide and disparate array of producers including Conducta, GuiltyBeatz, Splurgeboys, Dabeatfreakz, Mokuba Lives, Rymez and more. It opens with two recent singles — "Hood Bitch" and "Bad B Bop" — before transitioning into the dancehall-influenced "Back Up In This". From there, the party vibes keep coming with strands of Afrobeats, pop, R&B and club music all woven in with very few of the darker moments of Part 1.
Even though the album features three previously released singles ("Snack" with Kida Kudz is also included), there are still plenty of chart-worthy potential singles that could keep the album on rotation well into next year. The Afropop bounce of "Back It Up" with Geko, the straight-talking UKG poetry of "Could It Be" and the Carnival-ready energy of "Phoney" with Tiggs Da Author could all send her sailing to the top of the charts. Crucially, they also demonstrate her versatility as well as her longevity.
