JoeBurn - Spark It Up EP Feat. Skitz, Deadly Hunta, Shire Roots & Blazenstine - OneLion Review

By Lu Kuss

As i’ve said in the past, 
we get excited a lot here at One Lion HQ. This time its for the real deal, the big one….
it’s time for a look at an EP from Devon's very own JoeBurn. The project is titled ‘Spark It Up’ and features production from beatsmiths such as Blazensein and certified legend in the game, Skitz. On top of this world class production theres vocal features from fellow southwest vibesman and soundsystem session don, Shire Roots as well as veteran ragga-hop collaborator, Deadly Hunta.

The EP opens with a murky-as-you-like dub heavy beat and within a few seconds Joe’s comparatively higher pitch lyricism shines through. You are immediately made aware of what he’s about and his relatively fast paced flow with the slower (but catchy as fuck) hook grab you right off the bat. After listening to the opening track for the first time, you’ll be suddenly really aware that you need to listen to the rest of this project.

The second track is produced by none other than Daddy Skitz himself and features vocal contributions from Reality Shock Records very own raggatron badboy, Deadly Hunta. JoeBurn brings that almost addictive flow again with highly intelligent and politically motivated bars that compliment the hook sung by Deadly Hunta. The production is truly reminiscent of Skitz’ favoured reggae style with aptly placed voice samples and cuts that give you a deeper insight with every listen.

We then move into the third track that is again heavily politically influenced but this time with a more general theme as Joe comes with a speedier flow in his well-informed verses about the world we live in and sings another hook you’ll be repeating all day.

The fourth track is the standout for me and features input from the Irie Bingo team who are also picking up some serious recognition in the scene. The beat is another dub heavy face shaker from Blazenstein but this time a touch slower. The vocals are taken care of by Joe Dot who brings verses about classic subject matter in his own distinctive style. Another catchy-as-fuck hook and an absolutely enormous verse from Irie Bingo vocal merkaliser, Shire Roots, make this yet another one for the pile.

The final track from the project gives you an insight into Joe’s background and direction as he spits to someone, answering their questions about him. This track is the most hip-hop centric of the project in my opinion but still doesn’t lack a generous dosage of that ragga flavour that will become synonymous with Joe’s name as he inevitably rises to the peak of the UK mountain over the coming months.

This project is an absolute BANGER! This is genuine music from the hearts and souls of its contributors and you only have to listen for yourselves to realise that this is the start of something really, really special.

For me, this is music with the ability to genuinely change my mood and I quite literally can’t wait to hear something else but unfortunately, this is it for now so make the most of it although there's no doubt you’ll be hearing a lot more from JoeBurn and all in his camp in the not too distant future.

AVAILABLE NOW HERE THROUGH DEFCON RECORDS