Reviewed by Steve Hayes

Zang Hibidy is an absorbing UK project, taking an underground themed look at life in the womb through to birth and beyond. As you'd expect from the creative minds behind Birmingham-based Zang Productions, this is an ethereal, eclectic and surreal journey, yet inescapably engaging. As we travel through mainly electronic musical soundscapes ("Womb Hugs" and the spacey "Love It Here"), vocal ensembles ("Just Inches Between Us" with a focus on the glory of God "standing inside a woman's belly") and creative lyrical excellence "Geronimoses" among others, we are challenged about life, why we are here, what is life all about anyway ("Life After Birth") and the complexity and beauty of life and the gift of life from God, as found in "139" to name but one track. "The Wishing Well 51:5" with a nod to Psalm 51:5 is a diamond in its own right, with some drum-funk, a grooving vocal flow and some musical excellence as we find how God loves us so dearly. This is a project unlike any other ever attempted within urban culture as we view life through the lenses of triplets with unique personalities in the womb ("Life After Birth #1, #2 and #3"). In essence, this is a true hip-hop project, where imagination, creative thought, cut up underground breaks, musical fusions, scratching, vocal hooks and bags of lyrical creativity. Make sure you search out a copy.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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