Review of Mikey Spice's HARDER THAN BEFORE

Mikey Spice is one of those artists that I really want to like... for each of his past three albums, I've tried as hard as possible to get into his music. He's talented, no doubt -- he has a great voice and a good presence, but each and everytime I feel like he's come up short. Spice is similar to Maxi Priest in that way -- lots of often misdirected talent.

Harder Than Before is similar to previous efforts. Songs like "Love Grows," "Here I Am," and the title track are by no means bad songs, but the problem is that they too easily fit into a certain mold. There's no new ground broken productionwise or lyrically; it's cookie cutter modern lovers, no matter how good Mikey Spice's voice is. It gets to the point that each track sounds like the one before it and the one after it, and it's frustrating because it's easy to hear the potential that Mikey Spice has.

Occasionally, though, Spice puts together a track that really grabs me. "Mr. Loverman" is a great example. With solid roots vibes with lovers vocals and appropos backup vocals, it really delivers. "Best West Ses" also works well as the album's token ode to toking; the production here is the best of the album, courtesy of Michael Johnson (who handles much of the album's production). "Grab Yu Lass" is also worthy of note, as it takes a playful tone but still stands out from the rest of the bunch.

While Harder Than Before has it's occasional points, it's generally a medicore release. Only one cut really stands out as particularly bad, and that's the album's closer, a cover of "Only Just Begun." My challenge to Mikey Spice: put out an album of tracks like "Mr. Loverman," "Best West Ses," and "Grab Yu Lass" and tell me that some heads don't start turning.

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