This is the sophomore album from London emcee Montener the Menace. We first caught wind of him last spring when he released his full-length debut I Have a Hidden Hobby in which dude was rapping his ass off, but was overloaded with features & the instrumentals sorta sounded similar to one another. Not even a year has passed & Montener is continuing to stay busy by dropping Anyone Home?.

After the intro, the first song “We Need to Talk About Kevin” works in a chipmunk vocal sample to talk about being hurt whereas “High Noon” enlists Fatlip, Masta Ace, Rah Digga & Wordsworth over a old western loop comparing themselves to that of outlaws. Dude later addresses his flaws on the twangy boom bap cut “Imperfections” just before he, Craig G & Ed O.G. return things to the essence on the violin-heavy “Take It Back”.

“The Struggle” with El Da Sensei, Guilty Simpson & Micall Parknsun is a icy look at everyone’s own problems that they face while “Dog Food” is an orchestral depiction of being homeless. After the “Anyone Home?” interlude, “It’s Always Sunny in Croydon” is a decent little posse cut showcasing Montener’s homie from the titular London city leading into him & A.G. talking about their legacy on the uplifting “Legends Never Die”.

The song “I Can’t Resist Hearing…” is an endearing tribute to fatherhood while the track “Feed the Foxes” with Boodah uses the title as a metaphor for giving to the poor accompanied by a bluesy beat. Then just before the outro, the final song on the album “Bloody Marvelous” with Keith Murray finds the 2 flexing their rapping prowesses over a rich instrumental.

To me, Anyone Home? is exactly what I wanted out of I Have a Hidden Hobby. The features are toned down to an appropriate amount, Montener’s lyrical topics are more serious & I also like how he refines the traditional old school sound he goes for by dabbling with a variety of different styles.

Score: 7/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com