Uffie - Difficult

Well, if this doesn’t do it, nothing will. US-born, Paris-moulded rapper/singer Uffie has looked worth a hit since the astonishing ‘Pop The Glock’ slinked over in 2006, beguiling the criminally few who heard it with its saucy mix of insubstantial threats, body-jacking electro, sexual metaphor and, er, sexual obviousness.

Some impressive procrastination and – to be fair – extensive touring swallowed up the next couple of years before ‘Pop The Glock’ was dusted down for a late 2009 re-release and taster of long-delayed debut album Sex Dreams & Denim Jeans. Again, singles ‘MCs Can Kiss’ and ‘ADD SUV’ (with Pharrell Williams, for goodness’ sake) followed, again without spawning a hit. So why should ‘Difficult’ do any better?

You can sing along! That helps. In fact, it’s ferociously catchy. Call it electro-dancehall, whatever, but enjoy its insistent hook – “Don’t worry, if I write rhymes, I write cheques”, adapted from P Diddy’s ‘Bad Boy For Life’ – and fruity staccato piano lifted from Claudja Barry’s 1979 track ‘Love Of The Hurtin’ Kind’. Everything’s spliced together by French filter-disco producer SebastiAn, one of any number of Parisian techno whizzes – Mr Oizo, Feadz, Mirwais – under Uffie’s spell, to create a skittering, addictive little ditty that deserves attention.

Oh, and it’s got a great video too, Uffie going Dickie Ashcroft marching through an endless hospital corridor. It’s worked before…