Ta Smallz Reviewed

Ta Smallz
Having My Way
(Life Entertainment)

When you need to print your name’s pronunciation on the cover of your CD, you’re gonna find problems.

But while the phonetics of Ta (pronounced “tay”) aren’t immediately obvious, most of Having My Way is. Smallz and his producers, mainly Big Ballz and Jaymes 314 Ball, know their way around the studio and probably have a hit or two on hand, but they’re completely at the whim of the industry on this because absolutely nothing stands out. Ta has a smooth combo voice boasting neo-chocolate soul and dance club rapper, but his lyrics run the familiar (“One Of A Kind,” “How High”) while his flow could be mistaken for dozens of hopefuls. Big Ballz and 314 don’t do him any favors by mimicking everything on the radio from the title track’s pseudo-Eastern whistle to “Westside”‘s retro G-funk. Could be, might be, but probably not.

5

— Kevin Keegan

Category: Spins, Weekly