A demon-eyed dancehall maverick delivers hard-bodied romance and alien swagger

On New Level Unlocked, Alkaline unleashes 14 dancehall salvos for the heat of the night, showcasing his unique voice—which quivers as if he were close to tears—on tracks about being young, bad and sexy. The neo-goth ragga star favours romantic digital melodies and slowly grinding rhythms that form an unusual foil for his often extremely bawdy lyrics (check chat-up ballad "One More Time" and the anatomically specific "Side Chick"). Elsewhere, Alkaline's flair for riding any beat is on glorious display, especially on bubbly stomper "Champion Boy" and the alien, Auto-Tuned "Tom Taam".