Plan B: 'She Said'

Once upon a time, Plan B was touted as the UK's answer to Eminem. His debut disc achieved moderate success, though unsurprisingly a rapper who rhymed about genital warts didn't quite click with the masses. Four years later and the second single from his follow-up LP, The Defamation of Strickland Banks, suggests that Ben Drew may have shaken off his more ferocious past. He's singing falsetto and looking sharper than Bond himself, but if you listen carefully, this is an artist who still packs a weighty lyrical punch.

On paper, 'She Said' could read like a shameless grab for commercial success. It's produced by Paul Epworth, whose credits include Kate Nash and Florence and the Machine, and it's so intent on recreating the sound of 2006 that it even borrows Amy Winehouse's band while she (literally) finds her feet. However, the key here is that Drew doesn't just depend on these tools - he twists them to his own advantage. The result? A finger-snapping soul-pop ditty about an obsessive ex-girlfriend punctuated by jolts of gritty rap, a juxtaposition that's initially perplexing but ultimately provokes an admiring smile. He remains the UK's answer to Eminem, merely in a thinly-veiled guise.


> Click here to watch the 'She Said' video