Magnetic Man: Magnetic Man

Magnetic Man: Magnetic Man
With a name like Magnetic Man, it sounds like a superhero that never made it off of Marvel’s cutting room floor but the dubstep supergroup is much more than a discarded superhero. Consisting of DJs Benga, Skream, and Artwork, the group recently released their self-titled debut album.
With a crew running three men deep, it is not always necessary to have guest appearances but Magnetic Man still manages to produce some big name guest spots. The biggest name is John Legend who appears on the album’s closing track “Getting Nowhere.” I know what you are thinking “what does John Legend know about dubstep?” but Legend actual does a really nice job on the track. His silky voice adds texture to a slower dubstep jam.
The album’s lead single, “I Need Air” features Angela Hunte. Hunte is perhaps best known for writing Jay-Z‘s “Empire State of Mind.” Her auto-tuned vocals over the synthesized pop beat makes for a catchy track but it does not exactly fit the dubstep mood of the rest of the record.
The same goes for the album’s second single “Perfect Stranger” which features Katy B. The chorus’ spastic techno beat stands in stark contrast to slower verse beat. But the track’s pop vocals and house synths make for more of a dance/pop track than a dubstep track.
To hear what Magnetic Man is really capable of, listeners have to dig past the album’s singles. “Mad” sounds like an instrumental dubstep version of Black Sabbath‘s “Iron Man.” “Crossover” features Katy B as well but does a better job of bridging the gap between dance pop and dubstep.
Like most supergroups, Magnetic Man’s debut album seems to be a little unfocused. The dubstep tracks tend to be very good while some of the other tracks that bring in pop and dance elements tend to feel a little generic. It leads to an album that is not bad but feels like it does not fulfill its full potential.
Rating: 7.2/10
MP3: Magnetic Man featuring John Legend “Getting Nowhere”
Buy: iTunes or Amazon