Most Popular

National Features >

  • Broward-Palm Beach New Times

    The Agent from Iran

    How a mother of two ended up in a plot to smuggle high-tech gear to the enemy.

    By Deirdra Funcheon

  • Westword

    Murder By Design

    In life and death, tattoo artist Kauri Tiyme made her mark.

    By Alan Prendergast

  • Village Voice

    My Brother the Slumlord

    Amy Neustein never could resist going public with her family dramas.

    By Elizabeth Dwoskin

  • Houston Press

    The Ghosts of Galveston

    A visit with the hurricane victims that a country forgot.

    By John Nova Lomax

Fresh Herbs

By Tamara Palmer

Published on November 24, 2008 at 5:00pm

The Herbaliser has long been a force in U.K. hip-hop. Led by Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba, the group — which now includes vocalist Jessica Darling — explores its jazz-funk roots more prominently on its seventh studio album, Same as It Never Was. The result is a more organic-sounding hip-hop aesthetic, where traditional instruments are given fresh life. Trombones perfectly envelop guest rapper Jean Grae on "Street Karma (A Cautionary Tale)," while the tuba and accordion take center stage with Canadian MC More or Les.